Question
What are the primary forms of moral harm experienced by social workers, and how do they impact practice?
Answer
Moral harm in social work refers to the psychological and emotional impact on practitioners when they are involved in or exposed to acts that violate their deeply held moral beliefs. This can take three primary forms: causing harm, failing to prevent harm, and witnessing harm. Social workers who directly perpetrate harm, such as engaging in unethical behavior or fraud, often experience deep internal conflict and distress, leading to intense moral self-reflection. This distress may be exacerbated by legal consequences or professional repercussions, prompting a critical examination of their ethical standards.
The second form, failing to prevent harm, involves instances where social workers become aware of harmful actions by others, such as clients or colleagues, but feel they did not intervene effectively. This can create feelings of guilt and responsibility for the perceived inaction, which can be a source of significant moral harm. The third manifestation, witnessing harm, involves social workers observing harmful actions that they neither caused nor could prevent. For example, those who work in high-stakes settings like prisons may be regularly exposed to ethically troubling situations, resulting in a moral struggle over how to respond.
Moral harm, often overlapping with "moral injury" and "moral residue," describes the lasting effects of such experiences, including feelings of inadequacy or disillusionment with one's own or others' ability to act ethically. Moral residue builds as unresolved moral distress accumulates over time, potentially leading to chronic feelings of moral disquiet and affecting one's confidence in the justice and ethicality of the workplace. Addressing these layers of moral harm is essential for maintaining the mental health and ethical integrity of social work practitioners.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the webinar, Ethics & Moral Injury, presented by Frederic G. Reamer, PhD
