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 OFETHICAL
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 mustbe 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.