Ethics of Psychology

From the initial meeting to the final process of treatment, the role of ethics is an
important one in the field of psychology. There are a number of ethical concerns that may arise
in the various settings in which a psychologist may work such as a hospital environment or
private practice. There are several laws in place to control how psychology is used and the
majority of these laws specifically cover various ethical problems for anyone working in the field
of psychology.
The ethics code for client welfare requires that there are reasonable steps taken by
someone practicing psychology that will minimize and avoid undue harm to students, clients,
and any other individual or group the psychologist may work with. The code of conduct and
ethical principles are the ethics that outline the responsibilities of a psychologist. They establish
what behavior and actions are considered to be acceptable as well as unacceptable for the
practice of psychology. The ethics code is multi-dimensional and the psychologist must adhere to
the code of conduct in order to keep their license.
Psychologists must follow ethical principles that prevent them from deceiving their
clients, meaning the psychologist cannot lie to a patient for the good of the psychologist.
However, deception among psychologists may fall into different codes when conducting
research. For example, ethics codes for psychologist and research participants during a research
would include codes of conduct such as deception of the participants is justified only when the
prospective educational, scientific and applied value are achieved when non-deceptive
alternatives are not viable. The participates cannot be deceived about conditions of the research
that may induce pain or emotional distress and every participant must be debriefed at the end of
their participation in the research.
Psychologists also have certain rules and codes they must follow in regards to the
protection of the public as well as the protection of their clients. The ethical principles were put
in place not only for the benefit of mental health professionals, but to protect the clients, the
families, associates and the general public. For example if a psychologist is presented with a
client who is making bodily harm threats to another individual or group, if the psychologist feels
the threats are warranted, he/she is required to report the threats to the proper authorizes and in
1

many cases, to the person or persons the threat is being aimed at. Although it may seem like a
breech of confidentially to report what was said in confidence, the psychologist is required and
authorized to make the report without fear of breaking the code of ethics.
The code of ethics was created to protect the public and the psychologist from any abuses
that are the result of mishandling a situation. Physical, financial and emotional situations are all
protected with the code of ethics. There are numerous subcategories that are explained and
included in the ethics code ranging from the misappropriation of funds and/or billing procedures
to the events that must occur during the termination of therapy.
The code of ethics has specific rules regarding conflict of interest for both the
psychologist and the client. Conflict of interest can be applied to a variety of situations such as
the psychologist should not treat a family member or close friend due to the possibility of
favoritism or being non-objective which would interfere with the treatment being given and
received. The psychological ethical codes clearly prohibit the interaction of a personal
relationship between the psychologist and the client.
Ethical codes strictly regulate the behaviors and/or situations are being dealt with and the
situation should be resolved. The conduct codes and principles of ethics are put in place to ensure
that anyone receiving services from a psychologist as well as the psychologist providing the
services is protected against any breach of conduct that may cause physical or emotional harm to
those involved in the services.
"These rules should do much more than help the unethical psychologist keep out of
trouble; they should be of palpable aid to the ethical psychologist in making daily decisions."
Nicholas Hobbs (1948, p. 81)
The first committee on Ethical Standards for Psychologists was developed in 1947 and
chaired by Edward Tolman. The committee was created because psychologists were becoming
more involved in professional activities and public works during and following World War II. To
gain insight on what to include, the committee sought information from psychologists in the
field. Psychologists discussed situations in which they felt they encountered ethical dilemmas.
A second committee was formed and headed by Nicholas Hobbs. This 8-member
committee was responsible for the creation of the first document. The committee used
contributions from over 2,000 psychologists to create the first principles. The committee
2

reviewed the situations submitted by psychologists to the first committee and attempted to
organize the situations into themes. Themes that emerged reflected many of the political and
social issues of the time including racial segregation, post-war politics, and the testing industry.
The first version of the Ethical Standards of Psychologists was adopted in 1952 and published in
1953 by the American Psychological Association (APA). The document was over 170 pages in
length. The first version contained many ethical dilemmas that psychologists had written about
and submitted to the first committee as case examples.
Psychologists often work with vulnerable individuals in sensitive situations. An important
step in becoming a mental health professional or consumer of psychological services is to be
aware of the ethical issues faced by psychologists. If you are providing psychological services
you are obligated to remain informed regarding current ethical standards or issues. If you are a
consumer of psychological services, the professional should keep you informed regarding your
rights. If you find yourself in a situation where ethical standards are being violated or have
doubts regarding the correct course of action, consult with a colleague.
The faculty of the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University joint Psychology
Department have identified several key ethical issues with which we believe our students should
be familiar. This list is not complete and students will learn much more about ethical issues while
going through the psychology curriculum. Near the end of their study, students are asked to
demonstrate knowledge of these ethical issues as they apply them in their senior integrative
experiences.
COMPETENCE: Consumers of psychological services have the right to expect that the
practitioner is competent to provide the services offered. Generally, competence is established
through training, experience, supervised practice, or a combination of these activities. Any
practitioner should be willing to discuss their competencies with any consumer of services and
be ready to make referrals to others when an administration of tests like the MMPI or the
Wechsler intelligence scales requires understanding of the intricacies of both administration and
interpretation. Graduate course work and many hours of supervised practice are needed to
acquire the necessary skills. The practitioner is also obligated to keep skills up to date with
formal course work, reading, or other professional development activities.

CONFIDENTIALITY: Psychologists and consumers of psychological services are

frequently concerned about the issue of who is allowed to see and use information about
individuals generated during research, consultation, or therapy. In most circumstances private
information must be kept confidential, that is, it is not revealed to others. However, there are
important exceptions to this, mandated by state law and court decisions, and it is important to be
aware of them. These exceptions tend to concern situations in which information that is normally
confidential can be used to prevent harm to another person. For example, if a client describes
abusive behavior toward their children, the therapist is mandated to file a report with social
services. Clients, themselves, need to be aware of both the requirements and the limits of
confidentiality.
INFORMED CONSENT: In their roles as researchers, therapists, and consultants,
psychologists offer a variety of services. Informed consent is a central principle in these actions.
This means that consumers of psychological services have the right to know precisely what
services are being offered, what benefits can be expected, and what risks are involved. After
being so informed, consumers then have the right to refuse the services or terminate
participation. In research, therapy, or other activities accompanied by some identifiable risk,
consent needs to be in writing. When individuals, for some reason, can't give their consent, a
surrogate or guardian may be allowed to consent for them.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS: Psychologists frequently
interact professionally with clients who are less powerful than themselves because of their age,
species, emotional insecurities, intellectual ability, legal status, or other attributes. As a general
rule, psychologists are expected to act in the best interests of such individuals, to avoid taking
advantage of the vulnerabilities of clients, and to treat animal subjects humanely in accordance
with accepted practice. A romantic relationship between a therapist and client is one way that this
ethical principle may be violated and is one of the most common causes of lawsuits against
therapists.
A GENERAL CONCERN FOR ETHICAL PRACTICE: The issues outlined here
provide a broad outline of ethical practice in psychology. Specific courses will elaborate on these
issues and help you identify situations in which they apply. However, each individual, whether a
practitioner or consumer of psychological services, needs to be aware of the role that ethical
4

guidelines play in directing the application of psychology to the problems of the real world. We
hope that awareness of specific ethical issues in psychology will broaden your view of the
meaning of ethical behavior as it applies to any endeavor. Whether you go into politics,
education, business, manufacturing, law, medicine, or any other vocation, you will need to take
the time and effort to examine what you are doing in terms of its ethical implications and have
the courage to confront unethical behavior.