Philosophy Café - Moral Distress and Injury

Join Dr David Hunter to discuss moral distress and injury – what is it and why does it matter? Dr Hunter describes moral distress as the uneasy feeling you get when you don’t feel morally comfortable with a particular course of action or outcome that you are involved in, and is often the result of unequal power relations. This talk will focus on moral distress as a general concern for ethical behaviour, both within and outside of the workplace, and will argue that we ought to recognise this concept as much more widely applicable. Research finds that if moral distress is left untreated it can ultimately lead to burn-out and moral injury and the more subtle reduction in your ability to engage and care as a defense mechanism.

Dr. Hunter is a Senior Lecturer in Ethics and Professionalism in the School of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Adelaide. His key teaching and research interests lie at the intersection of applied ethics and political philosophy. He has written extensively on research ethics, resource allocation and ethical issues regarding regulating new technologies. He is a philosopher by background and completed his PhD at the University of Auckland before moving to Northern Ireland, then England and now Australia.

Contact: library@cityofadelaide.com.au

Phone: 8203 7990