What is the difference between malfeasance and maleficence

Similarly, misfeasance is doing wrong unintentionally and nonfeasance is not doing. Maleficence is "of harmful nature or quality", the antonym of beneficence, "the state or quality of being kind, charitable, or beneficial". So if I were describing an action, I would call it malfeasance. If I were describing a state of mind, a character flaw, or other essential nature of something, I would use maleficence. Think of the evil fairy in Disney's "Sleeping Beauty".

Her name is Maleficent. Maleficence is a quality of a willing agent, malfeasance is not a quality but an act or series of acts. For example: "His many malfeasances are proof of his maleficence. He's obviously a maleficent person; he's committed so many malfeasances. So more simply, I guess: a person can be maleficent. An act can be a malfeasance. You certainly can say that a person can be malfeasant. An act can be a maleficence. While this usage is rarer, it is still in both the OED "an act of evildoing" and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary "a harmful or evil act".

Ther e posted by grouse at PM on July 28, Very true. Good point I hadn't thought of. Something to do with "fecere", or something vaguely like that. Not only would I be really reluctant to say that that's a useful line to draw in this case, I don't think it really has anything to do between the two word forms you've asked about.

As the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence are closely related, they are discussed together in this section. Beneficence involves balancing the benefits of treatment against the risks and costs involved, whereas non-maleficence means avoiding the causation of harm. As many treatments involve some degree of harm, the principle of non-maleficence would imply that the harm should not be disproportionate to the benefit of the treatment.

For example, it may be necessary to provide treatment that is not desired in order to prevent the development of a future, more serious health problem. The treatment might be unpleasant, uncomfortable or even painful but this might involve less harm to the patient than would occur, were they not to have it. In cases where the patient lacks legal competence to make a decision, medical staff are expected to act in the best interests of the patient.

In doing so, they may take into account the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. However, it would be helpful for medical staff in such cases, if the patient lacking capacity had made an advance directive.

In Western medicine, the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence derive historically from the doctor-patient relationship, which for centuries was based on paternalism. According to Kao , this is not the same in non-Western medicine. She explains that in Islamic medical ethics, a greater emphasis is placed on beneficence than on autonomy especially at the time of death.

Aksoy and Tenik , who investigated the existence of the four principles in the Islamic tradition by examining the works of Mawlana, a prominent Sufi theologian and philosopher, support this claim. Malfeasance noun Wrongdoing. Maleficence noun harmfulness or mischief. Malfeasance noun legal Misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official and causing damage. Maleficence noun Evil doing, esp. Malfeasance noun The doing of an act which a person ought not to do; evil conduct; an illegal deed.

Maleficence noun doing or causing evil. Malfeasance noun wrongful conduct by a public official. Maleficence noun the quality or nature of being harmful or evil. Popular Comparisons.

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