Counseling Ethics & Critical Thinking
Logical Analysis of
Ethics and Critical Thinking
Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counseling 4th ed., Chapter 3
Authors: Kenneth Pope and Melba Vasquez The authors’ main purpose of this chapter is to teach the importance of examining our ethics through the lenses of critical thinking. In general, critical thinking is being able to learn new material with an open mind and having a heightened level of self-awareness of our biases and how our biases impact the analysis of information. A critical thinking approach when applied to the logical analysis of journal articles, chapters or entire textbooks--encourages us to analyze the author(s)’ goals, objectives, issues, observations, facts, conclusions, biases, inferences, assumptions, perspectives, and their overall point of view. Critical thinking entails the ability to think clearly and rationally. Critical thinkers will take additional steps to increase their learning by conceptualizing, making connections between ideas, identifying, constructing and evaluating arguments. It requires the reader to find inconsistencies and common errors in thinking or reasoning. Our approach to this new problem solving process should be systematic and logical, not emotional. Critical thinkers will clearly spotlight, not hide, their own beliefs and values, (2006, Foundation for Critical Thinking). This reflection paper will follow the critical thinking steps of analyzing the logic of an article as suggested by Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder (Foundations of Critical Thinking). All steps and required criteria have been italicized, underlined and highlighted in bold.
Passive vs. Active Learners. Former traditional teaching and learning styles instilled passive learning: “Me teacher--you student,” “I teach--you learn,” or “I talk you--listen.” To evolve into a critical thinker one must desire evidence, data and be willing to be an active learner. We must
cease the habits of passive learning, which simply accumulate
Ethics and Critical Thinking
Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counseling 4th ed., Chapter 3
Authors: Kenneth Pope and Melba Vasquez The authors’ main purpose of this chapter is to teach the importance of examining our ethics through the lenses of critical thinking. In general, critical thinking is being able to learn new material with an open mind and having a heightened level of self-awareness of our biases and how our biases impact the analysis of information. A critical thinking approach when applied to the logical analysis of journal articles, chapters or entire textbooks--encourages us to analyze the author(s)’ goals, objectives, issues, observations, facts, conclusions, biases, inferences, assumptions, perspectives, and their overall point of view. Critical thinking entails the ability to think clearly and rationally. Critical thinkers will take additional steps to increase their learning by conceptualizing, making connections between ideas, identifying, constructing and evaluating arguments. It requires the reader to find inconsistencies and common errors in thinking or reasoning. Our approach to this new problem solving process should be systematic and logical, not emotional. Critical thinkers will clearly spotlight, not hide, their own beliefs and values, (2006, Foundation for Critical Thinking). This reflection paper will follow the critical thinking steps of analyzing the logic of an article as suggested by Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder (Foundations of Critical Thinking). All steps and required criteria have been italicized, underlined and highlighted in bold.
Passive vs. Active Learners. Former traditional teaching and learning styles instilled passive learning: “Me teacher--you student,” “I teach--you learn,” or “I talk you--listen.” To evolve into a critical thinker one must desire evidence, data and be willing to be an active learner. We must
cease the habits of passive learning, which simply accumulate
References: Elder, L. and Paul, R. (2006). “Foundation for Critical Thinking.” Retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.org Pope, K. And Vasquez, M. (2011). Ethics and critical thinking. Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counseling: A practical guide,4th ed., pp. 16-33. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Vasquez, M. (2011). 21 Ethical Fallacies: Cognitive Strategies to Justify Unethical Behavior. In Ethics & Malpractice. Retrieved from kscope.com/ethics/ethicalstandards.php