Understanding the importance of personal ethical perspective can truly be helpful in the

determination of what should and shouldn't be done. Ethical behaviors are important to any
professional that uses their personal image to attract business. Most believe Ethics are about religion or
culture, However, this type of ethics is vastly different. When discussing Ethics in this document, it is not
all about religion culture but it does relate to moral principles as they pertain to humans. Ethics covers
how humans conduct themselves on what is right or wrong within society. In this document,
understanding just how important one's personal ethical perspective is and how it can be apply
effectively. Further in this document, it will be discussed the relationship difference between personal
and professional ethics in the field of psychology. The APA decision making process is also an important
topic that will be covered as well as how it is used to facilitate more ethical professional behaviors. This
document will be wrapped up with a description of the author's own ethical awareness inventory scores
and how it relates to the concept of aspiration and enforceable standards in psychology. First up on the
agenda is the importance of understanding one's personal ethical perspective.

Upon completion of the Ethical Awareness Inventory, I noticed that there were some interesting
results. They were viewed as typical overall, however, the details that were explained gave some great
insight. This is insight is good to know and understand as it allows an individual to focus on areas that
could be regarded as weak to aid in becoming more well rounded. Knowing your personal ethical
perspective allows for knowing what ethical situations may cause frustrations or how one can do the
most help. According to The Williams Institute, "Knowing personal perspective can reveal how accepting
you are of others’ approaches to ethical decision making, and the greater the opportunity for you to
have open dialogue and positive conclusions to disagreements about how to resolve ethical concerns."
(The Williams Institute For Ethics And Management , 2008) Another importance of understanding and
being more aware of ethical perspectives is to avoid being caught up in pointlessly arguing about whose
ethical perspective is “right,” rather than then focusing on reaching the best ethical decision. People are
known for making quick decisions and mistakes can arise that can make others question our personal
ethics. knowing our individual perspectives can help in avoid these circumstances.

There are several differences in professional and personal situations in regards to ethics in the
field of psychology. Personal ethics tend to be more general, such as becoming an individual whose has
high values in morals and integrity while showing the utmost respect to people and situations in
everyday life. This can be accomplished towards family, friends, or even a stranger. Professional ethics
tend to be more specific, such as practicing such as becoming an individual whose has high values in
morals and integrity while showing the utmost respect to people and situations in work life. This can be
accomplished towards co workers, bosses, or even clients. Basically, This relationship between the two
can be meshed successfully depending on the person, while others individuals may have issues with it,
for instance, drawing a line between their role as a professional and their role as an individual.
Individuals that draw the line, tend to follow the professional ethics code, even if they disagree with it
personally. Situations like these can cause conflicts to arise. "For most professions, ethical behaviors are
generally those that fulfill the fundamental moral obligations to do good, to do no harm, to respect
others, and to treat all individuals honestly and fairly."(Fisher, 2013) If a psychologist cannot uphold
professional ethics due to personal ethics, they may want to look into another field of study. In the field
of Psychology, ethics, rather it be personal or professional, are of the same realm. Psychologist should
look to make society better, treat everyone equally, and have every intention to make the right
decisions. This is the difference between professional and personal ethics.
 There are several purposes for the professional ethics code in psychology. According to Fisher,
"One purpose of an ethics code is to help establish and maintain the viability of a profession. An ethics
code reflects a collective decision that a profession is better off when ethical standards are not based
solely on individual assessments of what is or what is not morally acceptable."(Fisher, 2013) Secondly,
the ethics code provides a document reflecting the psychology profession values and standards that
provides a guide to what psychologist in this field should expect of themselves and one another. Third,
The ethics code helps to demonstrate public trust in regard that psychologist are a part of profession
that has high standards and are responsible individuals. Finally, the ethics codes provides a clear details
of what is ethical and what is considered violations. This code helps both psychologist and consumers. It
aids psychologist in avoiding unethical actions and provides a guide to clients in case they need to report
a complaints. According to Fisher, "The APA Ethics Code also serves as a guide for licensing boards,
courts, and other institutions for the evaluation of the responsible conduct of psychology and is thus a
means of avoiding capricious standards set by non psychologists. The Ethics Code can also help
psychologists defend their decisions to courts, institutions, or government agencies that would
encourage them to go against the values of the profession."(Fisher, 2013) Furthermore, after the Ethics
Codes were created and set forth in motion. The Ethics Committee saw a flood of complaints according
to an article by Joyce & Rankin, 2010. "In its 1954 report, the Ethics Committee attributed the increasing
amount of complaints to the newly publicized ethical code .The committee felt that this publication
promoted awareness of ethical behavior amongst the membership, leading to greater understanding of
unethical behavior and a willingness to report it." (Joyce & Rankin, 2010) The APA Ethics Codes is
something that psychologist do want to take seriously and it certainly helps to facilitate ethical behavior.

Describe how your ethical awareness inventory scores relate to the concept of
aspirational and enforceable standards.
 References

Fisher, C.B. (2013). Decoding the ethics code: A practical guide for psychologists (3rd ed.). Retrieved
from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Joyce, N., & Rankin, T. (2010). The lessons of the development of the first APA ethics code: blending
science, practice, and politics. Ethics & Behavior, 20(6), 466-481.

McCartney, S., & Parent, R. (2012). 1.1 The Importance of Ethical Behaviour | Ethics in Law Enforcement.
Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/ethicsinlawenforcement/chapter/1-1-the-importance-of-ethical-
behavior/