he influence of consequential ethics as an ethical framework (the greatest good for the greatest number) contradicts deontology’s ethical principle (i.e., the rightness of an act itself determines what is right). Both have an impact on the nursing profession. The utility principle underpins modern social exchange theories. Read the assumptions of social exchange theory and consider how they would affect the nurse-patient relationship in comparison to how they would impact the nurse in the health care setting. To what extent can all theories be considered ethical? Is social exchange theory compatible with the nursing profession’s values?