Ethics Defined
Ethics is the study of those assumptions held by individuals, institutions, organizations, and professions that they believe will assist them in distinguishing between right and wrong and, ultimately, in making sound moral judgments
Professions with Ethics
Medical - hippocratic oath Research - animal testing IRB - Institutional Review Board (protocols to protect human subjects in research) Lawyer - client privilege Psychologists - client confidentiality Journalists
Social Justice
Female faculty member and male doctoral student - can they go out for dinner?
Forensic psychology & $$
Clinical psychologist conducting a research study at a college, doesn’t have a subject pool, gives students in abnormal psych class private psychotherapy in return for participation
Deception in research is
is acceptable if it is justified by the study’s scientific value and alternative procedures are unavailable
Why do we need ethical codes?
What are ethical codes?
General Standards
Current Trends:
HMO
Health Maintenance Organization
- A medical insurance group that provides health services for a fixed annual fee
Psychologists and Military Interrogations
APA - 2006 - prohibited psychologists from torture but could serve as a consultant for information gathering related to national security.
APA - 2010 - psychologists are prohibited from “engaging in activities that would justify or defend violating human rights.”
Indemnified
Secure against legal lability
Trolley Dilemma
This is a classical example of consequentialism, which tells us that our ethical judgments should be determined by the consequences of our actions
Therapist Competence (Typical Ethical Dilemmas)
Therapists need to provide services for which they are qualified
Client Welfare (Typical Ethical Dilemmas)
Client needs come before counselor needs and counselor must act in client’s best interest
Informed Consent (Typical Ethical Dilemmas)
Counselors must inform clients regarding nature of counseling and answer questions so that clients can make an informed decision
Confidentiality (Typical Ethical Dilemmas)
Clients must be able to feel safe within the therapeutic relationship for counseling to be most effective
Dual Relationships (Typical Ethical Dilemmas)
More than one relationship with a client (e.g. the counselor is a friend and the counselor) should be avoided when possible
Most common complaint
Confidentiality
Goals of Ethics
Reporting Ethical Violations