Welcome to the Nexus of Ethics, Psychology, Morality, Philosophy and Health Care

Welcome to the nexus of ethics, psychology, morality, technology, health care, and philosophy

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Avoiding Ethical Missteps

By Alan C. Tjeltveit and Michael Gottlieb
The Monitor on Psychology
April 2012, Vol 43, No. 4, page 68

Psychologists want to contribute to human welfare — and the vast majority of them do. But despite their best intentions, they may find themselves in situations where they unwittingly slip into unethical behaviors.

Most psychologists try to prevent such lapses by, for example, learning the APA Ethics Code and attending risk management workshops to better understand ethical risks. Yet research has shown that such efforts are not enough to keep psychologists from ethical blunders.

How then can psychologists prevent such missteps? We suggest that psychologists at all developmental stages — from student to seasoned professional — are wise to examine and better understand their personal feelings and values and how they can lead to ethical problems. Doing so not only reduces the risk of psychologists drifting into ethical trouble, but also helps move the quality of professional practice from merely adequate to optimal.
The problem and efforts at solutions
Psychology training programs accredited by APA are required to provide ethics education to their students. This helps students and colleagues understand where the “floor” in ethical behavior lies and how the standard of care is commonly interpreted. That usually includes learning the APA Ethics Code, as well as state rules and regulations, relevant state and federal statutes and court decisions, and mastering a particular ethical decisionmaking model.

Unfortunately, research suggests that cognitive strategies alone are not sufficient. Although many psychologists and trainees can accurately describe their ethical responsibilities, they report that they might, in certain situations, act otherwise.

The entire story is here.

Alan Tjeltveit will be The Pennsylvania Psychological Association's Ethics Educator of the Year for 2012.  Nice article and great work over the years educating psychologists in Pennsylvania and across the country.

Oh, and Mike Gottlieb is a great guy too.