Public Relations Ethics and Professionalism : The Shadow of Excellence

Public Relations Ethics and Professionalism suggests a whole new approach to PR ethics; exploring the idea that professions construct a public face or persona, disowning their shadow aspects in the process. By reconceptualising public relations ethics through a Jungian lens, this book proposes that deep dialogue within the field is a prerequisite for the development of the kind of robust ethics that will genuinely contribute to society.

Do professions really place duty to society above clients'' or their own interests? If not, how can they be trusted? While some public relations (PR) scholars claim that PR serves society and enhances the democratic process, others suggest that it is little more than propaganda, serving the interests of global corporations. This is not an argument about definitions, but about ethics - yet this topic is barely explored in texts and theories that seek to explain PR and its function in society.

This book places PR ethics in the wider context of professional ethics and the sociology of professions. By bringing together literature from fields beyond public relations - sociology, professional and philosophical ethics, and Jungian psychology - it integrates a new body of ideas into the debate. The unprecedented introduction of Jungian psychology to public relations scholarship shifts the debate beyond a traditional Western ''Good/Bad'' ethical dichotomy towards a new holistic approach, with dynamic implications for theory and practice.

This thought-provoking book will be essential reading for students, academics and professionals with an interest in public relations, ethics and professionalism.