Understanding Of Dignity Research Articles

Towards a political concept of dignity

ABSTRACT This paper proposes a new way of thinking about the concept of dignity. It argues that existing conceptions of dignity in moral and legal philosophy fail to meet three key tests: conceptual soundness, analytical usefulness, and a capacity to vindicate the principle of moral egalitarianism. It suggests that we can better satisfy all three of these conditions if we treat dignity as a relational and political concept that is defined by a sense of what we are due. This means its content derives not from any transcendental truth or legal authority but has to be negotiated between different actors. It can then be asserted as part of an egalitarian project without needing to make reference to an external authority or a confused conceptual base. It seeks to show that this understanding of dignity is free of the conceptual confusion that plagues the existing conceptions; is closer to the ‘common’ understanding of dignity in ordinary language and thus more analytically useful; finally can be deployed more successfully in defence of the principle of moral equality.

Dignity, Resilience, and Quality of Life in Patients With Cardiac Disease

Background Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important indicator of patient's satisfaction about their disease course. Many factors are influential to life quality, such as dignity and resilience. Dignity is mostly explored in populations with cancer, but the understanding of dignity and its relationship with resilience and HRQoL is limited. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between dignity, resilience, and HRQoL among patients with cardiac disease. Methods A purposive sample of patients with cardiac disease with a cross-sectional design was used for this study. Four structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Dignity was measured by the Patient Dignity Inventory-Mandarin version; resilience was measured by the Chinese version of the Resilience Scale; HRQoL was measured by EuroQol 5 Dimensions. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied to test the hypothesized structural model. Reporting was consistent with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist. Results The mean age of all 101 participants was 72.2 years, 88.1% had coronary artery disease, and the prevalence of heart failure was 43.0%. In patients with cardiac disease, their sense of dignity was significantly associated with HRQoL, and resilience was associated with both dignity and quality of life. Notably, resilience had a mediating effect between dignity and HRQoL; dignity and resilience explained 73.0% of the variance of HRQoL. Conclusions Dignity is a new concern in cardiac disease research, which is influential to patients' perception of disease and their HRQoL. Patients with cardiac disease with higher resilience tend to have a better HRQoL.

Justice Kennedy’s Jurisprudence of Dignity: From Sovereign Immunity to Gay Rights

Abstract Although this article uses Obergefell v Hodges (2015) as its frame, it aims to bring out some distinctive features of Justice Kennedy’s jurisprudence of dignity more broadly. There are two reasons why such an investigation is important. The first is important to those interested in the legal case. Indeed, in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health (2022), the Court now argues that the relevant ‘test’ for determining whether a right is protected under the Due Process Clause is whether the right is found to be ‘deeply rooted’ in the nation’s history and tradition. This article aims to critique this decision, as well as originalist approaches to constitutional interpretation more broadly, and seeks to resurrect and reconstruct Kennedy’s jurisprudence of dignity that has undergirded (sometimes quietly) the expansion of civil rights protections to the LGBTQ+ community. The second reason this investigation is important is of interest to philosophers and legal historians. Dignity is a notoriously elusive concept, and much ink has been spilt trying to sort out the precise nature of its content and its boundaries. This article brings together the many (seemingly disparate) uses of dignity found across cases involving gay rights, abortion, and foreign sovereign immunity, and argues Kennedy effectively weaves these uses together in ways that may sharpen our understanding of dignity in both the philosophical and legal literatures.

The concept of dignity in Edmund Burke’s writings on the French revolution

ABSTRACT This paper argues that the concept of dignity played an important role in the political thought of Edmund Burke. It seeks to show that, in contrast with the egalitarian and individual version of dignity associated with Immanuel Kant, Burke devised a conception of dignity that rested on reverence, grandeur and formality, to be manifested through institutions, customs, and social relations. Burkean dignity was thus closely linked with the ancient constitution. In his thought, dignity played an essential role in maintaining social stability and ensuring wise governance. This conviction informed Burke’s opposition to the French Revolution, which he feared would destroy the conditions necessary for dignity to thrive. Unpicking Burke’s understanding of dignity thus gives us new insights into the intricacies of his political thought and another perspective on his opposition to the French Revolution.

Perspectives of Healthcare Professionals Regarding Dignity and End-of-Life Care for the Elderly: A Systematic Literature Review

Dignity is key in the management of older patients as they approach the terminal phase of their lives. Thus, an in-depth investigation of healthcare professionals’ (HCPs) viewpoints on this subject is pertinent. This study aims to systematically review the perspectives of HCPs regarding dignity and end-of-life care for elderly patients. Utilising the PRISMA guideline, 23 articles were included in the systematic literature review following a comprehensive literature search of three electronic databases: MEDLINE, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. Five broad themes emerged from the analysed articles and were summarised as the main findings: HCPs’ understanding of dignity and patient needs, holistic patient‐centred care, family support, coordination of healthcare systems, and uncertainty at the end of life and factors affecting advanced care planning. Overall, HCPs agree on various critical aspects of treatment in end-of-life care for older patients, especially relating to respect for patient autonomy, holistic and patient-centred care, and the family’s role. Accumulated evidence suggests substantial progress in providing patient-centred care and recognising the family’s role in dignified care for older patients. Nevertheless, more improvement is needed in the area of coordinating healthcare systems, uncertainty about disease prognosis, advanced care planning, and communicating effectively regarding the goals of care and limitations of treatment options.

Jurisprudential Developments and Adjudication of Indigenous Peoples’ Rights

Abstract In recent years, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (“IACrtHR”) has developed an innovative jurisprudence that has reaffirmed and further developed the right of indigenous peoples as an integrative part of the corpus juris of the international human rights law (“ihrl”). In fact, through a dynamic, systemic, evolutive and effective interpretation of the American Convention on Human Rights (“achr”), the regional tribunal has expanded the scope of protection of Article 21 achr (Right to Property) in a manner that includes the protection of the special relationship that indigenous peoples have with their traditional lands, territories and natural resources. Based on this interpretative development, the IACrtHR has further expanded the protection of indigenous peoples’ communal property to guarantee their right to cultural identity and to a dignified life, that is, to live in accordance with their own cultural traditions and understanding of dignity. In this sense, specific safeguards against unjustified restrictions on the right to property, that could amount to a denial of the cultural survival of indigenous peoples, were jurisprudentially identified by the regional tribunal. This paper critically analyses the legal regime applicable for the protection of the right to traditional communal property of indigenous and tribal peoples in the Americas, as developed by the IACrtHR. In particular, it pays special attention to the methods of interpretation applied by the regional tribunal and the manner that has referred to the corpus juris of international human rights law that specifically protects and guarantees the rights of indigenous peoples.

The Theoretical Relevance of the Capabilities Approach in Discussing the Purpose of Education

This paper endeavours to use the Capabilities Approach (CA) to clarify the understanding of human dignity as the human right purpose of education and argue that access to education needs to be compulsory for all children in consonance with international human rights law (IHRL) and because of the significance of education in developing those capabilities needed to guarantee a life with dignity, which limits the discretion of states in accordance with the rules of IHRL. It argues that the CA is a relevant theoretical approach because it conceptualises valuable personal outcomes an individual could achieve through education i.e., the purpose education should achieve in the life of learners. This is an aspect that both IHRL scholars and the CA have not explored, i.e. investigating the purpose of education under IHRL and the insights and illuminations the propositions of the CA provide. As such, this paper contends that the CA emphasises human agency (what valuable things people can achieve) instead of markets and economic purposes. It endeavours to argue that the CA further accentuates the significance of access to schooling, which, in combination with the central function of human dignity in IHRL, allows the understanding of dignity as the fundamental purpose of education. This means that the CA contributes to a clearer and richer understanding of the use of human dignity in IHRL. It starts with the foundational work of Sen that is rooted in welfare economics, and more reliance is placed on Nussbaum’s philosophical work while discussing human dignity under the CA. This is because Nussbaum draws from moral and political philosophy in her version of the CA, which enhances our understanding of the theoretical conceptions of human dignity and its use under IHRL. Keywords: Education, Capabilities Approach, Human Dignity, Human Rights, HCT DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-3-03 Publication date: January 31 st 2023

Dignity at the end of life: from philosophy to health care practice - Lithuanian case.

Regulation and clinical practices regarding end of human life care differ among the nations and countries. These differences reflect the history of the development of state health systems, different societal values, and different understandings of dignity and what it means to protect or respect dignity. The result is variation in the ethical, legal, and practical approaches to end-of-life issues. The article analyzes the diversity of strategies to strengthen dignity at the end of life of terminally ill patients and to highlight the legal preconditions and limitations for implementing these strategies in independent Lithuania, as a former state of the Soviet Union. It is based on the critical analysis of philosophical literature, legal national and international documents and scientific evidence related to the issue. The author argues that the legal system in Lithuania is not sufficient to ensure the patient's dignity at the end of life and remains far behind other Western European countries. Legal regulations in Lithuania do not guarantee the right of the patient to express his or her will regarding the future treatment, including the refusal of resuscitation, do not regulate the termination of burdensome, non-viable and meaningless treatment that is undesired by the patient, and limit the accessibility of palliative care with its necessary quality and comfort.

Dignity and bargaining power: Insights from struggles in strawberries

AbstractWhile solidarity is widely understood as key to worker capacity to improve terms and conditions of employment, the creation of solidarity has received less attention. This article advances the theory that dignity is the creative process, based on a psycho‐social understanding of dignity not as an outcome but an interpersonal exchange. Mutual recognition of each other's capacities to participate in social rules creates solidarity, thereby catalysing collective action and making workplace improvements more likely. The argument is developed through comparison of three cases of worker struggles in the strawberry sector that produced varied outcomes, from steady improvements through union collective bargaining to persistence of poverty wages and gender‐based violence. The proposed model of dignity‐based worker power suggests both functional and psychological effects of democratic practice within worker organizations, coalitions and workplaces.

‘My son has lost his dignity’: dignity of persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities

The objective of this study is to describe and evaluate understandings of dignity of persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Intrinsic dignity cannot be lost and is inherent to being a human. Also, dignity is the extent to which these persons have enough positive experiences (individual dignity), have dignity in their relationships with familiar others (relational dignity), or with unknown others (societal dignity). While intrinsic dignity sometimes fails to include experiences of these persons and their family members, the other understandings are gradual, which means that these persons can lose their dignity. The understandings express a concern: the life of the person with severe disabilities is, respectively, worth respecting, living, sharing and caring about. We conclude that they can have dignity and that, in case of disagreement, it is important to clarify which dignity is meant and to make explicit the concerns at stake. Points of interest A mother stated, ‘My son has lost his dignity,’ while other parents assert that their child, like any other human being, cannot lose his dignity. The paper clarifies these differences between understandings of dignity. In this study, four understandings of dignity of persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities are evaluated. This means that their strengths and limitations are described. Parents and others, referring to dignity of persons with severe disabilities, want to express a concern, this paper argues. They want to make clear that the lives of these persons are worth respecting, living, sharing or caring about. Parents, health care professionals or others who disagree on dignity of a person with severe disabilities, this article concludes, should open themselves up for the other’s concerns. While their concerns may differ, they are both obviously concerned about this person, which is the starting point for providing good care and support.

Dignity of patients with palliative needs in the Middle East: an integrative review

BackgroundPatients with palliative needs experience high psychological and symptom distress that may lead to hopelessness and impaired sense of dignity. Maintaining patient dignity or the quality of being valued is a core aim in palliative care. The notion of dignity is often explained by functionality, symptom relief and autonomy in decision making. However, this understanding and its implications in Middle Eastern countries is not clear.The aim of this review is to 1) explore the understanding of dignity and how dignity is preserved in adult patients with palliative care needs in the Middle East 2) critically assess the findings against the Dignity Model dominant in western literature.MethodUsing an integrative review we searched four databases EMBASE, Psych-Info, CINAHL, and PubMed. These databases retrieve a broad literature on palliative care and are often chosen in other palliative care reviews. To enhance the search strategy, three online journals were hand searched, reference lists of review papers scanned, and forward citations sought. No time limits were applied. The retrieved papers were assessed independently by two authors including quality assessment using the Hawker’s appraisal tool.ResultsOut of the 5113 studies retrieved, 294 full texts were assessed. Sixteen studies were included for synthesis of which fourteen were published in Iran. Seven themes were developed after data analysis: Maintaining Privacy and Secrecy; Gentle communication with a dialogue that preserves hope instead of blunt truth-telling; Abundance characterised by accessibility to medical supplies and financial stability; Family Support where relatives deliver major assistance in care; Physical Fitness; Reliable health care, and Social justice that endorses equal care to all.ConclusionThe results are compatible with the existing evidence from the Dignity Model ascertaining that dignity is socially mediated and influenced by interactions and physical fitness. Nevertheless, the findings highlight that patient dignity is also shaped by the socio-political, cultural, and economic conditions of the country, where family support, gentle communication and accessible health care are essential elements.

On Human Dignity and Social Work

Abstract Human dignity is a key value found in the profession’s code of ethics. It demands that clients be treated respectfully. However, there are different understandings of what dignity means and, in turn, requires of social workers in their efforts to engender respect. This article reviews several understandings of dignity and their practice implications. It also explores understandings of indignity and their implications for avoiding treating clients in an undignified manner. Finally, the paper considers dignity as the foundation of human rights and illustrates some practice implications. The intent of the article is to strengthen social workers’ understandings of this contested concept and thereby raise their consciousness of how, provided they are careful about its application, it can inform their morally significant work.

Dignity in ‘the streets’: a comment on Gilabert

ABSTRACT These comments focus on Part II of Pablo Gilabert's, Human Dignity and Human Rights. They make three main points. First, they stress the helpfulness of Gilabert's distinction between so-called “status” and “condition” dignity. Second, they raise doubts about Gilabert's understanding of the grounds of human dignity – in particular, whether these must include “valuable” features of human beings. And third, they ask whether Gilabert's account of dignity (as a measure of moral status) is not too distant from the everyday understanding of dignity (as a measure of social status).

Human Dignity or Social Contract as Normative Frameworks in Applied Ethics?

Abstract The enquiry whether human dignity as the translation of the biblical designation of the human person as imago Dei should continue to be the framework used to ground human rights and specify their realisation, is developed in five parts. The first identifies two understandings of dignity in the public realm, one inherent-transcendental, the other empirically verifiable. The second section compares the use of “dignity” in three traditions of Catholic Theological Ethics: virtue, natural law, and autonomy. In view of doubts whether theological anthropology should still be the primary location for expounding the meaning of imago Dei, the third section discusses attempts to absorb anthropology into ecclesiology. The modern history of reception of this biblical term by J.G. Herder is outlined in section four, before drawing conclusions from the previous enquiries for the question which language theological ethics should use in public discourse, imago Dei or dignity.

Decolonising Dignity for Inclusive Democracy

The idea of dignity is often taken to be a foundation for principles of justice and democracy. In the West it has numerous formulations and conceptualisations. Within the capabilities approach to justice theorists have expanded the concept of dignity to encompass animals and ecological communities. In this article I rework the idea of dignity to include the Māori philosophical concepts of mauri, tapu and mana – something I argue is necessary if the capabilities approach is to decolonise in the Aotearoa context. Furthermore, the article links the nation's recognition of three extensive geographical regions – Te Awa Tupua, Te Urewera and Mt Taranaki – as legal persons to Mā tauranga Mā ori and nonhuman dignity. In doing so, I identify the potential that this understanding of dignity and these legal moves have to decolonise democracy within the settler state.

The idea of human dignity in western philisophy and culture

This article is an analysis of the change in attitude to the concept of human dignity in historical retrospective. The author traces the content of the term "dignity" in different periods of Western philosophical thought. It is shown how in the course of historical development the power dignity understanding was replaced by an essential one, became universal, although it had different connotations in the culture of different eras, and over time it acquired the significance of social status. Considering the transformation of attitudes towards people, the author comes to the conclusion that only religious culture is able to maintain an understanding of dignity for all participants in society at a single level.

A Big Win in Smalltown: Demanding Dignity in an Era of Neoliberal Austerity

This article explores the concepts of dignity at work and worker voice in the public workplace during a period of surging neoliberal austerity intended to reduce taxes, government regulations, and public services. I ask how the changing landscape of public employment in the neoliberal era has created new and exacerbated existing threats to dignity at work and how workers have responded to such threats. The question is answered by exploring how and why an unlikely group of workers in Smalltown chose to use their collective voice on the job to organize a union. Using ethnographic methods, I am able to look at the strategies of public workers coping with a changing work environment in real time. The case of Smalltown offers a window into the interplay of the global and the local by examining how macro-level neoliberal forces can shape workers’ micro-level responses to attacks on their dignity at work. The findings reveal how neoliberal attacks on public workers in particular settings can trigger collective responses that confront not merely austerity but other threats to dignity as well. This study informs our understanding of dignity at work and worker resistance in the post-Great Recession economy.

Constructing dignity: Human rights as a praxis of egalitarian freedom

ABSTRACTFamiliar philosophical accounts of the relationship between human rights and human dignity treat dignity as the foundation of human rights. These accounts get the historical and conceptual relationship between rights and dignity wrong and obscure how power and politics shape human dignity in practice. This article sketches an alternative view that treats the emancipatory praxis of human rights as constitutive of a distinctive conception of dignity as egalitarian freedom. This political account clarifies the historical and conceptual relationships between dignity and human rights in ways that provide powerful critical leverage on some obdurate controversies in the field. Additionally, it makes the analysis of power and struggle central to our understanding of dignity and human rights at a political moment when such an analysis proves indispensable.

Being Dignified: The Lived Experience of Elderly Chinese Residents in a Private Nursing Home in Hong Kong

The concept of dignity is an essential value of nursing practice and its attributes frequently include control, respect and self-esteem. In Hong Kong, elderly people have negative impressions about living in private nursing homes because they perceive these attributes of dignity will be lost. This study aims to understand and gain a deeper insight of the lived experience of being dignified for elderly Chinese residents in a private nursing home in Hong Kong. This study employed an interpretative qualitative design. A purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit 14 nursing home residents to participate in this study. The data were collected through in-depth, unstructured face-to-face interviews. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and then analysed using van Manen's phenomenological method of qualitative research. Five themes that emerged from this study were: possessing inherent dignity, owning dignified-self perspectives, endeavouring to exercise dignity-conserving practices, receiving dignified care, and dwelling in a dignified home environment. Outcomes identified in this study showed the different ways dignity is conceptualised by the residents in the nursing home. The results enhance our understanding of dignity among residents in private nursing homes and can contribute to the development of strategies for providing dignified care in future.

Perceived inequalities in care and support for older women from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds in Wales: findings from a survey exploring dignity from service providers’ perspectives

ABSTRACTObjective: As part of a large mixed-method study aimed at capturing understandings of dignity, and care expectations of community dwelling older women from Black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds living in Wales, the aim of this paper is to compare service providers’ perceptions of their care and support provided to older people in general, and to older women from BME backgrounds in particular, with a focus on two dignity indicators: care and support needs, and effective communication.Design: A survey design was used.Results: A total of 124 responses from service providers in Wales were received. Perceived inequalities in care and support were found. Although most respondents reported that care and support provision was generally acceptable, more respondents believed that compared to older people in general, older women from BME backgrounds were seldom or never offered opportunities and support to express their needs, were involved in their own care, were provided appropriate information, had their key needs especially less visible needs (psychological and religious needs) been taken into account, or were communicated with effectively (all p < 0.05). In some cases, respondents tended to report more positively in areas related to their own practice.Conclusion: We suggest that learning from the views and perceptions of service providers, as well as older people and their families, remains key to developing services for the UK's increasingly diverse and ageing population. A better understanding of how inequalities may occur, their impact on older people and their families, and how they may be minimised can inform the development of high quality care for older people regardless of their ethnic and cultural backgrounds in Wales, other parts of the UK and beyond.