In this article, a rationale for how a person-centered approach (PCA) may contribute to a constructive practice of social ethics is discussed. As an exemplar of social ethics, I refer to the clinical, moral and political action taken in October 2015 by approximately 400 medical staff at a large public hospital in Australia. Their action, prompted by a perceived threat to their duty of care for a discriminated minority group (of persons seeking asylum in Australia), raises several important issues concerning the practice of social ethics. I will discuss Kant’s emphasis upon the regulatory functions of an autonomous will, and Rogers’ focus on the facilitative conditions for enhancing the innate tendency of individuals and groups to organize, develop and co-exist constructively. Inferences are drawn from the practice of social ethics advocated by proponents of sociotherapy and similar humanistic perspectives. © 2017 World Association for Person-Centered & Experiential Psychotherapy & Counseling.

Immanuel Kant Asylum seekers Person-centered sociotherapy social ethics

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