Name
Capella University
PHI FPX 2000
Prof. Name
November, 2024
Applied Critical Theory
Applied Critical Theory is an approach that focuses on how power relations, justice, and equality operate in societies and organizations. It aims to change multicultural relationships as a structural phenomenon by studying the systemic foundations of these differences (O’Connor, 2021). Critical theory is a branch of social theory stemming from the educational philosophies of particular individuals and institutions, including Karl Marx and members of the Frankfurt School Of thought; it is not limited to becoming simply an abstract scholastic approach but is applied in conflict resolution, multiculturalism, and struggle against oppressive visions and practices. In health care provision, teaching, and formulation and administration of policies, ACT works to solve an ethical quandary and enhance decision-making with a focus on equality.
Primary Interests of Stakeholders
In the context of Applied Critical Theory, actors refer to anyone who is a direct or indirect recipient of the results of the identified systemic prejudices, policies, or practices. These stakeholders have different primary concerns and may have different secondary roles depending on their character or function (Franco et al., 2020). Self-help organizations, for instance, are heavily concerned with eradicating social prejudice and dissolving reduce or prejudice. Their goal is to advocate for minorities and to give the latter a say in what is happening. In place, the policymakers try to ensure that their policies are transparent, efficient, and effective in meeting society’s needs while ensuring that every stakeholder gets what he/she deserves. Their role is to maneuver through and over ethically challenging terrains to design interventions that are for the common good.
Ensuring adherence to ethical standards and promotion of more harmonious organizational cultures are essential concerns of organizations and institutions currently undertaking their activities. Such entities are always in a place or audited to transform systems by implementing or endorsing equality and fairness practices (Fennelly et al., 2020). It is often these oppressed groups that are worst affected by structural injustices and as such they want to be acknowledged, receive resources, and promote policies that give them an advocate, the chance to have fair representation, and the opportunity to seek betterment. Still, these kinds of stakeholders have significantly differing priorities and the objectives of one group can harm or negatively affect others.
Applied Critical Theory is crucial to the management of these conflicts because it brings dialogue formally to foster an analytical look at existing power relations (Buchanan et al., 2022). It ensures that everybody is heard most especially the marginalized and that solutions are justice and fairness. Applied Critical Theory is useful in that it encourages the weaving of cooperative teamwork and, at the same time, attempts to dismantle the conventional processes of vertical upstream power structures to benefit the parties involved mutually.
Application of Critical Theory to Ethical Conflicts
It appears that Critical Theory resolves ethical dilemmas through critique of hegemonic discourses and analysis of power relations. Many times it has the intention of identifying such biases that have probably crept into policies or procedures that maintain certain unfair treatment for those from the closed-end category to check for fairness and equitable ways an issue might be solved (Tomczyk et al., 2024). Since Critical Theory targets marginalized or identified groups to engage effectively helping to solve the ethical issues, the theory encourages togetherness and support for such groups in a society. However, it disrupts the system by protesting against the dominant culture and paradigms that perpetuate structural injustice and encourage change and development. In healthcare, for example, Critical Theory can make delays and accessible disparities fixable by arguing for resource distribution and culturally receptive modes of treatment that focus on justice in addressing the multiple facets of patient’s needs.
Ethical Conflicts
Conflicts in ethical issues commonly occur as a result of the conflict of many valuable principles, availability of resources, and power relations. Resource distribution is a chief example; deciding who among the needy gets what scarce resources such as a donated organ raises profound ethical issues (Waterfield et al., 2022). Likewise, the consideration of cultural relevancy raises issues of conflict of interest, and culture while attempting to respect cultural heritage and uphold contemporary ethical principles while working in multicultural teams in globalized healthcare systems. Organizational rules and structure can also lead to ethical dilemmas, for instance, where there is powerless reception from the patient, service users, or laborers, and research subject powerlessness, there may be base immoralities, for example, experimenting with patients for research purposes or workplace ill-treatment of laborers, to pose pertinent questions of justice. As such, Critical Theory is used here to analyze these concerns and reveal systemic problems, while providing appropriate solutions that are equal, non-discriminatory, and ethically responsible.
Traditional Theory of Normative Ethics
The traditional normative ethic has fundamental structures for determining the right or wrong course of action from moral perspectives. These three major categories of this theory – deontology, utilitarianism, and virtue are thus divided in terms of their perspective on ethical decision-making (Tomczyk et al., 2024). Deontology focuses on the principles that dictate the actions and holds that the actions are moral, even if they have undesirable outcomes. While hedonism assesses an action by its consequence, utilitarianism supports an action that would provide the most utility for the most amount of people. Virtue ethics is centered on character, maintaining that ethical principles that people should uphold include; honesty, empathy, and justice.
However, these theories seem to fail to provide adequate heuristic tools to address the political structuring of contemporary ethical issues about systemic injustice and power relations (Dall’Ora et al., 2020). Deontology since its base is on fixed rules and regulation may fail to consider the shaded side of the vulnerable groups, whereas utilitarianism’s majority will overrule the rights of the minorities. However, virtue ethics means and revolves around individuals, it may not present clear solutions for dealing with systems’ vices. The problem with virtue ethics is that while they revolve around a person’s character, there is likely to be inadequate information regarding how these ethical systems can be used in fighting systemic injustices. These restrictions are additionally where Critical Theory comes in, as it offers a far more holistic strategy when it refers to societal and institutional practices that maintain indignity, and outlines how ethical dilemmas might be solved more efficiently and fairly.
PHI FPX 2000 Assessment 3 Conclusion
Applied Critical Theory practicing equality, justice, and embracing diversity fits the gap between theory and practice as ethicists contemplate the real world (Khatri et al., 2023). In so doing, it provides a practical and sound lens through which systematic power relations and their co-production of ethical conflicts might be addressed. Basic ethical principles are derived from traditional ethical theories but are helpful only when put to great scrutiny by applied theory. Combining these approaches to decision-making guarantees that the ethical decision made respects the principle of fairness to all parties.
PHI FPX 2000 Assessment 3 References
Buchanan, K., Newnham, E., Ireson, D., Davison, C., & Geraghty, S. (2022). Care ethics framework for midwifery practice: A scoping review. Nursing Ethics, 29(5), 1107–1133. https://doi.org/10.1177/09697330221073996
Dall’Ora, C., Ball, J., Reinius, M., & Griffiths, P. (2020). Burnout in nursing: a theoretical review. Human Resources for Health, 18(1), 41. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-020-00469-9
Franco, L., Fernandez, F., Martínez, F., Benrimoj, S. I., & Sabater, D. (2020). Stakeholder analysis in health innovation planning processes: A systematic scoping review. Health Policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 124(10), 1083–1099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2020.06.012
Fennelly, O., Cunningham, C., Grogan, L., Cronin, H., O’Shea, C., Roche, M., Lawlor, F., & O’Hare, N. (2020). Successfully implementing a national electronic health record: a rapid umbrella review. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 144, 104281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104281
Khatri, R., Endalamaw, A., Erku, D., Wolka, E., Nigatu, F., Zewdie, A., & Assefa, Y. (2023). Continuity and care coordination of primary health care: a scoping review. BMC Health Services Research, 23(1), 750. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09718-8
O’Connor K. E. (2021). Psychosocial Adjustment Across Aggressor/Victim Subgroups: A Systematic Review and Critical Evaluation of Theory. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 24(3), 500–528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-021-00347-3
Tomczyk, M., Jaques, C., & Jox, R. J. (2024). Palliative sedation: ethics in clinical practice guidelines – systematic review. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, 13(e3), e651–e663. https://doi.org/10.1136/spcare-2023-004266
Waterfield, D., & Barnason, S. (2022). The integration of care ethics and nursing workload: A qualitative systematic review. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(7), 2194–2206. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13723
