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Moral Distress and its Interconnection with Moral Sensitivity and Moral Resilience: Viewed from the Philosophy of Viktor E. Frankl

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Abstract

The interconnection between moral distress, moral sensitivity, and moral resilience was explored by constructing two hypothetical scenarios based on a recent Swedish newspaper report. In the first scenario, a 77-year-old man, rational and awake, was coded as “do not resuscitate” (DNR) against his daughter’s wishes. The patient died in the presence of nurses who were not permitted to resuscitate him. The second scenario concerned a 41-year-old man, who had been in a coma for three weeks. He was also coded as “do not resuscitate” and, when he stopped breathing, was resuscitated by his father. The nurses persuaded the physician on call to resume life support treatment and the patient recovered. These scenarios were analyzed using Viktor Frankl’s existential philosophy, resulting in a conceivable theoretical connection between moral distress, moral sensitivity, and moral resilience. To substantiate our conclusion, we encourage further empirical research.

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Notes

  1. The National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) is a government agency in Sweden under the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.

  2. Expressen, June 30, 2011, and August, 26, 2012.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology, Health Care Sciences and Society, Division of Nursing, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Kim Lützén

  2. John Dossetor Centre for Health Care Ethics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Kim Lützén

  3. Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Béatrice Ewalds-Kvist

  4. Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Béatrice Ewalds-Kvist

  5. Farsnagatan 1 B, 761 54, Norrtalje, Sweden

    Kim Lützén

Authors
  1. Kim Lützén
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  2. Béatrice Ewalds-Kvist
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Correspondence to Kim Lützén.

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Lützén, K., Ewalds-Kvist, B. Moral Distress and its Interconnection with Moral Sensitivity and Moral Resilience: Viewed from the Philosophy of Viktor E. Frankl. Bioethical Inquiry 10, 317–324 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-013-9469-0

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