Do the Right Thing Living Ethically in an

Do the Right Thing: Living Ethically in an Unethical World Thomas Plante, Ph. D. , ABPP Santa Clara University and Stanford University School of Medicine www. scu. edu/tplante

What do we mean by ethics? Ethics = “How we ought to live. ” How do you want to be in the world? You answer this question every day with or without intention - Socrates

Examples of People Behaving Badly 1. Business leaders: Martin Shkrelis & Big Pharma, Bernie Madoff, “The Big Short”, the VW story, Reliability/Validity of Fitbit/Apple Watch 2. Celebrities: Hollywood, sports 3. Politicians (e. g. , Donald Trump etc. ) 4. ISIS 5. College students: cheating scandals, frat hazing, sexual assaults

Colleges in Crisis Alcohol: 1, 400 college student alcohol deaths per year; 500, 000 accidental alcohol related injuries and 600, 000 alcohol related assaults per year (National Institute of Health) Sexual Assaults: 20% college females sexually assaulted on campus (2014 White House Task Force) Cheating: 43% of college students admit to cheating on tests

Developmental Tasks of Emerging Adults: The Four I’s Students often do the wrong thing for the right reason! 1. Identity 2. Independence 3. Intimacy 4. Impulse Control

Reflection Questions 1. Who do you want to be in the world? 2. How would others describe you? 3. Who do you admire and why? 4. What principles do you live by? 5. Why are these principles important to you? 6. If your day-today behavior was posted on You. Tube, how would your family and friends react to it?

Dishonesty can come in different flavors….

Exploitive Relationships: You’ve heard of doctors without borders….

RRICC Respect Responsibility Integrity Competence Concern

2, 500 Years of Moral Philosophy in a Centrifuge: Nine Approaches to Ethics Cultural Relativism Virtue Utilitarian Rights Justice Common Good Social Contract Egoism Absolute Moral Rules

SCU’s Three Cs Competence Conscience Compassion

Trustworthy Loyal Helpful Friendly Courteous Kind Obedient Cheerful Thrifty Brave Clean Reverent Boy Scout Code

Five Steps in Ethical Decision Making Recognize a moral/ethical issue exists Get the facts Consider alternative points of view Make a decision Consider the decision in retrospect

Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Building Ethical Muscles You have to want it You must agree with the concepts Get models Get corrective feedback Get support Use the tools and have a game plan with reasonable expectations Socially engineer good ethics

Questions to Ask to Build Ethical Muscles (p. 129) How can I be respectful to this person(s)? How can I accept responsibility for my thoughts and behaviors? How can I maintain integrity by being honest, just, and fair? Am I competent to do this? If not, how should I respond? How can I best express my concern for others?

Santa Clara Brief Ethics Questionnaire Please answer the following questions about ethics using the scale below. Indicate the level of agreement (or disagreement) for each statement. 1 = strongly disagree 2= disagree 3 = agree 4 = strongly agree _____ 1. Respecting others, even those who I don’t like or agree with, is very important to me. _____ 2. Being responsible and accountable, even when I have to admit that I’m wrong or have errored, is very important to me. _____ 3. Being honest, fair, and maintaining integrity, even when it might put me at a disadvantage, is very important to me. _____ 4. I strive to be competent in my areas of personal or professional expertise and am the first to admit it when I am not and have fallen short. _____ 5. I feel a great deal of compassion for others, even those whom I don’t know or have few things in common with. _____ 6. I have clear ethical guiding principles that I keep in mind and follow at all times. _____ 7. It is more important for me to behave ethically than to get an advantage in life. _____ 8. I never take advantage of others and am truthful in my relationships and interactions even when it might put me at a disadvantage. _____ 9. I would not be embarrassed if all of my actions were filmed and played back for others to see and evaluate. ____ 10. I typically ask myself what the right thing to do is from an ethical or moral perspective before making decisions.

Four Keys Ways to Live More Ethically You need to repeat your ethical values like a mantra. You need to surround yourself with like minded people. Small compromises today lead to big compromises tomorrow. Yes, people will find out. There are no secrets!

Some Case Examples 1. Randy Winn and SF-SD baseball game. 2. Off site team building goes too far and you gravitate towards what’s around you. 3. Ethical vs unethical companies and work environments: What’s the corporate culture?

Thank you and best wishes in living ethically in an often unethical world!