ABSTRACT
Central to the idea of behaving humanely, from a Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) perspective, is treating people according to their preferences for how they want to be treated. Practitioners working in secondary mental healthcare, however, sometimes act in ways that directly contravene patients’ preferences. Examples of such actions include detaining people against their will, enforcing medication, or using physical restraint. In this chapter, we explore the commonly used framework for biomedical ethics proposed by Beauchamp and Childress (2019) from a PCT perspective. It is argued that PCT principles are broadly consistent with the Beauchamp and Childress approach, but that our understanding of why these ethical principles are so important to adhere to is deepened by PCT’s proposals about the nature of human behaviour. The chapter concludes with a practical framework, informed by Perceptual Control Theory, that is designed to support health and social care professionals in resolving ethical dilemmas they encounter in their practice.
