On Replacing the Ethical Principle of Autonomy with an Ethical Principle of Accordance

<div class="line" id="line-7"> The author defines and critiques the ethical principle of autonomy. As a concept, autonomy is most aligned with paradigms of counseling that focus on the individual as a psychological entity with moral agency. It is less consistent with frameworks that focus on relationships philosophically and in practice. Autonomy is paradoxical, because it is a consensually defined principle imposed on counseling practice while denying counselors a choice in its application. The author suggests accordance as an alternative ethical principle. Accordance is consistent with relational paradigms of practice and the other relationship&hyphen;focused ethical principles in counseling. Accordance fully contextualizes individual responsibility and choice.</div>