Ethical Thinking – A doctor is driving down a road late at night. She sees a car in the opposite lane swerve sharply off the road, and it crashes. There are no other cars around. Her gut reaction as a physician is to stop to assist the victims. However, she quickly remembers that there are no “Good Samaritan laws” on the books in that state to protect her from malpractice lawsuits. Her conscience tells her she is justified in driving on. How would Freud explain the behavior of her conscience in this scenario? Do you believe her conscience was correct? (USLO 3.3)
Ethical Thinking – Freudian Analysis of the Doctor’s Conscience in the Scenario
Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory posits that the human psyche is divided into three components: the id, ego, and superego. The superego acts as the moral conscience, internalizing societal values and norms. In the given scenario, the doctor’s initial gut reaction to stop and assist the victims can be attributed to the influence of her superego.
According to Freud, the superego develops through the internalization of societal rules and expectations, representing an individual’s sense of morality. In this case, the doctor’s superego prompts her to consider the ethical obligation to help those in need, aligning with the societal expectation that individuals should act as “Good Samaritans.”
However, when the doctor recalls the absence of “Good Samaritan laws” in that particular state, her ego – the rational and pragmatic part of the psyche – comes into play. The ego seeks to balance the conflicting demands of the id and superego. In this situation, the doctor’s ego weighs the moral impulse to assist against the potential legal consequences, leading her to reconsider her initial……….
Ethical Thinking – However, when the doctor recalls the absence of “Good Samaritan laws” in that particular state, her ego – the rational and pragmatic part of the psyche – comes into play. The ego seeks to balance the conflicting demands of the id and superego. In this situation, the doctor’s ego weighs the moral impulse to assist against the potential legal consequences, leading her to reconsider her initial……….
