ETHICS IN PSYCHOLOGY GÖKÇEN DUYMAZ, PHD

What is ethics ? Ethics is a general term that refers to values, how we ought to behave,and what constitutes proper conduct. Practical or applied ethics refers to the application of ethics to specialized areas or professions, such as psychology For psychologists- the mandatory floor or minimum standards adopted by the profession (i.e., remedial ethics) as well as to voluntary efforts to live out moral ideals. The remedial approach focuses almost exclusively on the laws or standards designed to protect the public from harmful actions by psychologists (i.e., state and federal laws, and the enforceable standards of the American Psychological Association's (APA) "Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct,” In Turkey ?

The voluntary effort to“do the right thing” Most ethical systems reflect a "common morality" or shared core of aspirational beliefs. Remedial approach as incomplete

Psychology is a profession, and as such, has an agreed-upon standard of conduct to guide its members. the code of ethics for psychologists was originally published by APA in 1953, or soon after the movement for licensing psychology as an independent profession began to gain momentum.

before'the-fact controls - designed to prevent psychologists from harming their patients or violating the APA Ethics Code and other standards. – Training, education, supervision after'the-fact controls- designed to discipline psychologists after they have harmed patients or violated the Ethics Code and other standards

Malpractice The four criteria for malpractice complaints all begin with the letter D: – duty (a professional duty has been established), – deviation (the professional deviated from acceptable standards of conduct), – damage (the patient or third party was harmed), and – direct(there was a direct relationship between the deviation from professional standards and the damage to the patient or third party

an "eyeball" analysis common sources of complaints are multiple relationships (sexual and nonsexual), alleged incompetence in diagnoses or treatment, disputes arising out of child custody evaluations, fee disputes, and premature termination orabandonment. inadequate supervision, breach of confidentiality, inadequate record keeping, impairment, and failure to acquire required CE for licensure renewal. academic or research psychologists tend to deal with more concerns about authorship, plagiarism, and informedconsent.

POSITIVE (ACTIVE) ETHICS disciplinary codes represent only the ethical "floor" or minimum standards to which psychologists should adhere. Handelsman et al. (2002), “[T]he current notions of professional ethics focus too heavily on avoiding or punishing misconduct rather than promoting the highest ethical conduct.... [S]imilar to the pathology perspective, the prevailing modelsof ethics often are too rule-bound or defensive” (p. 732)

POSITIVE (ACTIVE) ETHICS Ethics should focus not only on how a few psychologists harm patients but also on how all psychologists can do better at helping them. Paralel with positive psy – a goal of positive ethics is to shift the emphasis of professional psychologists away from an almost exclusive focus on wrongdoing and disciplinary actions toward an articulated vision of high ethical standards. Risk management programs

Benefits of positive ethics sensitize psychologists to the ethical implications of the decisions they face in their daily practices. help psychologists appreciate the moral values on which the APA Ethics Code and other ethics codes are based assist psychologists in their ethical decision making, especially when that decision making requires balancing the competing ethical demands in a given situation

FOUNDATIONS OF ETHICAL BEHAVIOR

Common morality vs personal values Psychologists who have a clear sense of what they believe and why they believe it are more likely to make good

four philosophical systems – virtue ethics, – utilitarianism, – deontological ethics, – principle-based ethics they are consistent with the common morality. Only on the more technical or specific issues do they lead to differences in conduct. Feminism s influence- fairness and abuse of power

VIRTUE ETHICS An ethical professional has the right mixture of motives, knowledge, and character. – (a) prudence (demonstrating planned, appropriate forethought and good judgment), – (b) integrity (adhering to an internally consistent code of conduct), – (c) respectfulness (considering others worthy of high regard or special attention), – (d) benevolence (acting to help others).

VIRTUE ETHICS An ethical professional has the right mixture of motives, knowledge, and character. – (a) prudence (demonstrating planned, appropriate forethought and good judgment), – (b) integrity (adhering to an internally consistent code of conduct), – (c) respectfulness (considering others worthy of high regard or special attention), – (d) benevolence (acting to help others).

VIRTUE ETHICS better off emphasizing character building in psychologists rather than just trying to enforce conformity to rules.

DEONTOLOGICAL (DUTY-BASED) ETHICS The primary goal of ethical behavior according to Kant is for individuals to fulfill their duties. Happiness is only, a fortuitous by-product of doing one's duty. people can do the right thing for the wrong reasons. – Ex- Waiving the payment for the patient

DEONTOLOGICAL (DUTY-BASED) ETHICS hypothetical (conditional) imperatives – If … then – "If I want to become licensed as a psychologist, then I need to pass the licensing examination." categorical (universal) imperatives. – act as to treat humanity, whether in thine own person or in that of any other, in every case as an end withal, never as means only"

UTILITARIANISM the moral value of an act is determined by the consequences (i.e., the sum of happiness and unhappiness) to everyone involved. benefit maximization for all relevant parties The three essential features of utilitarianism theory are that it is consequential, – the litmus test of morality depends on the consequences or outcomes of behavior. hedonistic, – happiness, pleasure, or wellbeing is the goal of behaviors Universal – the happiness, pleasure, or well-being of others (i.e., generalized benevolence) is just as important as the happiness of the individual in determining the morality of an action. rule utilitarianism, focused on middle-range, intermediary, or instrumental principles that generally lead to happiness or well- being.

PRINCIPLE-BASED (PRIMA FACIE) ETHICS According to Beauchamp and Childress (2001), four moral principles in the field of biomedical ethics respect for patient autonomy nonmaleficence “above all, do not harm” beneficence, justice, – Distributive vs formal also fidelity as a fifth moral principle applicable to psychologists. public responsibility or general beneficence

Six conditions that must be met before infringing on a moral principle Is protecting the life of the patient more important than ensuring his or her autonomy? Will breaking confidentiality have a realistic chance of protecting the life of the patient? Is there any other alternative to breaking confidentiality? Can I infringe on confidentiality as little as possible to ensure the safety of the patient? Can I minimize the harm caused by the breach of confidentiality? Did my decision is influenced by any morally irrelevant information ?

SUPEREROGATORY OBLIGATIONS According to principle-based ethics, those supererogatory obligations should (a) not divert us from our obligation to those with whom we have special relationships (b) be moderate and not cause us more suffering than they produce relief to others (c) be thought out deliberately and done selectively What must I do to fulfill my ethical ideals?

the moral foundations of one's personal ethics should be consistent with the moral foundations of one's professional ethics.