Healthcare Chaplains Among the Virtues?

Noting that the bearing and presence of a chaplain in being with bereaved parents is as important as the provision of liturgy and ritual, this article argues that chaplaincy would benefit from an engagement with virtue ethics. The article begins by suggesting that many of the situations a chaplain e...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Newitt, Mark (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group [2016]
In: Practical theology
Year: 2016, Volume: 9, Issue: 1, Pages: 16-28
IxTheo Classification:NCA Ethics
RG Pastoral care
Further subjects:B Openness
B Healthcare Chaplaincy
B probity
B Virtue Ethics
B Attentiveness
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Summary:Noting that the bearing and presence of a chaplain in being with bereaved parents is as important as the provision of liturgy and ritual, this article argues that chaplaincy would benefit from an engagement with virtue ethics. The article begins by suggesting that many of the situations a chaplain encounters are too complex for principle based ethical approaches and outlines the merit of a “virtue-based” approach. As part of this the concept of a “regulative ideal,” as a way to understand how character regulates decision making, is discussed and “engendering an encounter with hope” proposed as a regulative ideal for chaplains supporting bereaved parents. Following this, the article proposes three virtues - attentiveness, openness and probity - as being key to the character of a chaplain. Finally, the article supports the call for case studies of chaplaincy work and argues for greater use of mentoring and shadowing within chaplaincy.
ISSN:1756-0748
Contains:Enthalten in: Practical theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/1756073X.2016.1149303