Current debates in ethics tend to be ignored in public relations (PR) literature, yet the codes of conduct promoted by many PR associations are highly idealistic and bear little resemblance to the complexity and contradictions faced everyday by practitioners. This book suggests a wholly new approach to professional ethics, drawing on the psychological insights of Carl Jung to suggest that professions construct a public face or persona; disowning their shadow aspects.

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...