The Political language of moral distresss: part I part I

Abstract

Given the ubiquity of “scarce resources” in public services under the regime of neoliberalism in Canada as well as other countries, the term moral distress has gained purchase in professional circles. In order to dig deeper into this term, I reviewed some of the literature to get a sense of its essence and context. Moral distress can be defined as “the experience of being seriously compromised as a moral agent in practicing in accordance with accepted professional values and standards. It is a relational experience shaped by multiple contexts, including the socio-political and cultural context of the workplace environment” (Varcoe, Pauly, Webster & Storch, 2012, p. 59). Moral distress involves a violation of professional and personal values, moral conscience, and core ethical obligations.

Although few colleagues still advise “letting go” of morally distressing situations (as if we can “let go” of our values at will), social work and related literature confirms that helping professionals experience moral distress when they cannot carry out moral obligations and standards of care in the milieu they inhabit (Dzeng & Wachter, 2019). Helpers are adversely and cumulatively affected, in physical, emotional, and spiritual terms. Moreover, dominant capitalist culture normalizes people’s insensitivity to the suffering of others as well as promotes the acceptance of unjust social policies and organizational constraints as “givens”, further exacerbating the lived experience of moral distress.