Research Ethics Board _________________________________________________________________________
TAXONOMY OF POSSIBLE HARMS
Research on human beings: some avoidable harms
Warren Bourgeois May 13, 1998
Below I present a taxonomy of harms which is roughly based on Donald P. Warwick, "Types of Harms in Social Research," in Ethical Issues in Social Science Research, Eds. Tom L. Beauchamp et al., (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982) pp. 101-124.
Each of the harms listed may be intentionally or unintentionally the result of research.
This list is not intended to be exhaustive and there may be overlaps in the various categories of harm. It is a starting point for considering what we mean to prevent and suggest opposites to these harms that we may which to promote.
I. Harms to individuals, for instance, research subjects, researchers, and bystanders
A. Physical Harms
i. Death
ii. Physical injury
a. temporary
b. permanent
B. Mental Harm
e.g. Fear, guilt, loss of self-esteem
i. Psychological abuse
ii. Unintentional psychological injury
C. Harm to interests
i. Undermining personal relationships
ii. Character defamation
iii. Legal jeopardy
iv. Monetary expense
a. Harms to commercial interests
b. Costs not reimbursed
D. Harm to moral integrity
E. Violations of moral rights
e.g. Privacy, justice, fidelity, beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy
II. Harms to Groups
A. Society as a whole
i. Cynicism, mistrust, wariness
ii. Less altruism
iii. Less effective social institutions
(Warwick lists harms to government separately.)
B. Vulnerable minority groups in society
i. Dispersal
ii. Victimization, especially scapegoating
iii. Blaming the victims
iv. Stereotypes
v. Manipulation
vi. Financial exploitation
C. Research Professionals
i. Legal restrictions on research
ii. A bad name
iii. Lowered quality of research