The Practice and Philosophy of Decision Making


Book Description

A practical approach to making decisions and choices for self-empowerment based on the philosophy of action.




An Introduction to Decision Theory


Book Description

A comprehensive and accessible introduction to all aspects of decision theory, now with new and updated discussions and over 140 exercises.




Decision Assessment and Counseling in Abortion Care


Book Description

In today’s contentious political environment surrounding abortion, clinicians, counselors and social workers need a clear framework for providing skilled, compassionate decision counseling. They need help working with the hard stuff: “What do I do when my patient asks me if God will forgive her?” or “What do I say when a woman says that she feels like she’s killing her baby?” These are the questions asked by clinicians and mental health professionals everywhere; these are also the questions for which this book offers answers. The fields of healthcare and counseling psychology have long-awaited a manual for conducting pregnancy decision counseling across the spectrum of patient issues, employee skill levels, and clinic resources. Using case examples, individual and group exercises, guided self-reflection, and values clarification, the reader will develop the necessary skills to provide compassionate and informed pregnancy decision counseling. This book will define the gold standard for decision assessment and counseling for all pregnancy options and will be cited as the definitive guide for learning, teaching, and providing high-quality, compassionate counseling in abortion and family planning clinics nationwide.




Practicing Communication Ethics


Book Description

Practicing Communication Ethics: Development, Discernment, and Decision Making presents a theoretical framework for developing a personal standard of ethics that can be applied in everyday communication situations. This second edition focuses on how the reader’s communication matters ethically in cocreating their relationships, family, workgroups, and communities. Through an examination of ethical values including truth, justice, freedom, care, integrity, and honor, the reader can determine which values they are ethically committed to upholding. Blending communication theory, ethics as practical philosophy, and moral psychology, the text presents the practice of communication ethics as part of the lifelong process of personal development and fosters the ability in its readers to approach communication decision making through an ethical lens.




Risk, Ambiguity and Decision


Book Description

Ellsberg elaborates on "Risk, Ambiguity, and the Savage Axioms" and mounts a powerful challenge to the dominant theory of rational decision in this book.




Decision-Making in Midwifery Practice


Book Description

The eBook version of this title gives you access to the complete book content electronically*. Evolve eBooks allows you to quickly search the entire book, make notes, add highlights, and study more efficiently. Buying other Evolve eBooks titles makes your learning experience even better: all of the eBooks will work together on your electronic "bookshelf", so that you can search across your entire library of Midwifery eBooks. *Please note that this version is the eBook only and does not include the printed textbook. Alternatively, you can buy the Text and Evolve eBooks Package (which gives you the printed book plus the eBook). Please scroll down to our Related Titles section to find this title. The book looks at a broad perspective of decision making and each chapter focuses on a specific aspect related to making crucial decisions. Following an initial introduction the book explores the concept of autonomy and the many factors that influence autonomous practise. The role of knowledge in decision making, using evidence to inform decisions, as well as different approaches to decision making are also examined - including the traditional or rational approach, decision analysis and the development of professional judgement. Dilemmas arise when decisions are made and therefore ethical decision making is an important component of this book. Management decisions may be different from those related to giving specific care to women, hence one chapter focuses on making management decisions. Emphasis is also placed on the role of the midwife in helping women make their own decisions, the role of reflection in enhancing the decisions midwives make and the support midwives can receive from their Supervisor of Midwives. Flowcharts explain and facilitate the decision-making process. - A very practical approach to decision-making in midwifery, with contributions from midwives who have considerable experience in this area - Provides guidelines on how to achieve successful autonomous midwifery practice, enabling theory to be effectively applied to practice - Includes coverage of management roles and decision-making as well as clinical scenarios, offering frameworks and flowcharts to guide the inexperienced - Suggests different approaches to making difficult decisions




The Paradox of Choice


Book Description

Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions—both big and small—have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented. As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression. In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice—the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish—becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice—from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs—has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse. By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counter intuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on those that are important and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.




Philosophy in Practice


Book Description

Philosophy in Practice is a completely new kind of introductory philosophy textbook, focusing on philosophy as an activity, rather than as a doctrine. Thoroughly revised edition of a popular introductory philosophy textbook. Contains new discussions of philosophy of religion, freedom, The Matrix, and the epistemology of the internet. Offers a wealth of pedagogical features to guide students through the text, including discussion plans at the beginning of each section, questions, chapter summaries, annotated guides to further reading, and a glossary. Classic passages from the history of philosophy are used throughout, and each part ends with a one-page historical summary. Includes an on-line teacher's guide with teaching suggestions, tests, and essay topics at: www.blackwellpublishing.com/pip




Medical Ethics Today


Book Description

This is your source for authoritative and comprehensive guidance from the British Medical Association (BMA) Medical Ethics Department covering both routine and highly contentious medico-legal issues faced by health care professionals. The new edition updates the information from both the legal and ethical perspectives and reflects developments surrounding The Mental Capacity Act, Human Tissue Act, and revision of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act.




How We Decide


Book Description

The first book to use the unexpected discoveries of neuroscience to help us make the best decisions Since Plato, philosophers have described the decision-making process as either rational or emotional: we carefully deliberate, or we “blink” and go with our gut. But as scientists break open the mind’s black box with the latest tools of neuroscience, they’re discovering that this is not how the mind works. Our best decisions are a finely tuned blend of both feeling and reason—and the precise mix depends on the situation. When buying a house, for example, it’s best to let our unconscious mull over the many variables. But when we’re picking a stock, intuition often leads us astray. The trick is to determine when to use the different parts of the brain, and to do this, we need to think harder (and smarter) about how we think. Jonah Lehrer arms us with the tools we need, drawing on cutting-edge research as well as the real-world experiences of a wide range of “deciders”—from airplane pilots and hedge fund investors to serial killers and poker players. Lehrer shows how people are taking advantage of the new science to make better television shows, win more football games, and improve military intelligence. His goal is to answer two questions that are of interest to just about anyone, from CEOs to firefighters: How does the human mind make decisions? And how can we make those decisions better?