Ferrell and Gardiner comment, "Many case-hardened policemen, prosecutors, and judges have remarked over the years about the remarkable reluctance of white-collar lawbreakers to admit their guilt. The whole phenomenon of denial of guilt and unwillingness to admit mistakes is virtually the same process used by others who have made less serious (and usually noncriminal) mistakes. The phenomenon we are talking about here is self-righteousness, which is the uniquely human capacity to view or interpret almost any act as right and proper, and prompted (of course) by only the very highest motives.
It continues to amaze the layperson that such otherwise bright and professional people can continue to delude themselves; yet they do. What is going on here is just an intensification of defensive processes that we all use at one time or another to maintain our self-esteem: We deny that we have done anything wrong, and we project blame for unacceptable or illegal actions onto others, an all-too-familiar process that we must deal with again and again in ordinary and organizational life -- self-righteousness, covering your butt, blaming the other guy, and denying the fearful possibility that maybe we really are rotten, no good persons."1
Ferrell and Gardiner recognize that, "Many intelligent and thoughtful persons have never had any training in ethics, and sometimes just don't recognize certain types of ethical conflicts. Sensitivity to potential ethical conflicts must sometimes be enhanced by appropriate training.
"Much training in the field of ethics, unfortunately, takes the form of heavy-handed and preachy repetition of themes of 'Don't do Bad Things, Be Good,' which have a quick and predictable outcome -- they turn people off. In each generation, it seems, educators must rediscover the principle that the most effective education teaches people to think for themselves. In the field of education, this is doubly true. Effective training programs tend to focus heavily on the case-by-case analysis, involve participants extensively in discussion and interaction, and stress the need for each individual to learn an ethical choice process that is uniquely his or her own."2
The questions below are a tool I hope some of you will use to help you look at professional problems and situations. These 12 questions for examining the ethics of a business decision were developed by Harvard Business School Professor Laura Nash, who wrote "Ethics without the Sermon" in the Harvard Business Review.
Try talking to colleagues about the ethics of business decisions. Make an effort to discuss patient management and business decisions in terms of ethics. Be a person who regularly, systematically examines the ethics of decisions. Thousands of us doing this consistently will improve our profession.
Ultimately, there is still no powerful authority, no absolute, agreed protocols for the care we render, although the Mercy Guidelines are close. Chiropractic ethics will continue to have many gray areas. We need more clarity about the ethical issues involved in what we do. Each of us needs to answer questions for each patient before us, "Am I treating this patient's needs? Or, instead, am I treating my own need or my own greed?"
Searching your heart to overcome the natural tendency towards self-righteousness and denial is more difficult than using the 12 questions above and more difficult than speaking about the ethical aspects of business decisions. Yet doing what's righteous, rather than self-righteous, can require you to search your heart.
References
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
