Deciding for Others: Competency
... instance if the person is unconscious. The environment and the behavior of others can affect the decision-making competence. For example the behavior of others can cause stress for a person and change their decision-making. In a case where it effects the environment, a person could be competent to make a decision about a surgery if they are in a surrounding where they feel comfortable and around people they can trust. Someone may be incompetent to make the same choice if they are intimidated or confused and in an unfamiliar setting like a hospital. There are three different capacities needed for competence: capacity for communication and understanding, capacity for reasoning and deliberation, and the person must have a set of values or the conception of good. Many different situations...