2. Learning Objectives
Online Information: Ethics blog and other sites
Structured information sharing
Vignette analysis and case discussions
3. 1. List at least three ethical principles related to APA’s
code
2. Compare and contrast positive ethics and risk
management
3. Describe the Acculturation Model
4. Explain one ethical decision-making model
5. Analyze one ethical vignette by identifying conflicting
principles
5. Ethics Blog
Self-education
Connecting with others: Blogs & other sites
Becoming politically active
6. Introduction and Applicability
Preamble and General Principles
(Aspirational and based on principle-based ethics)
Ethical Standards (Enforceable and represent
minimum standards)
7. The ethics code does not include federal laws,
such as HIPAA
The ethics code does not include case law, though
influence is noted
The ethics code is distinct and separate from
guidelines approved by the APA Council of
Representatives
Quiz Question: How many are there?
9. Does not mean promoting autonomy (individuation
or separation)
Means respecting the autonomous decision
making ability of the patient
10. It encompasses freedom of thought and action.
Individuals are at liberty to behave as they chose.
- Determining goals in therapy
- Making life decisions (e.g., marriage, divorce)
- Scheduling appointments and terminating treatment
11. The principle of benefiting others and accepting
the responsibility to do good underlies the
profession.
- Providing the best treatment possible
- Competency
- Referring when needed
12. Basis of foundational standard 2.01
“Psychologists provide services, teach, and conduct
research with populations and in areas only within
the boundaries of their competence. . . “
13. The principle is doing no harm.
- Demonstrating competence
- Maintaining appropriate boundaries
- Not using an experimental technique as the first
line of treatment
- Providing benefits, risks, and costs
14. Foundational Standard 3.04
“Psychologists take reasonable steps to avoid
harming their clients/patients, students,
supervisees, research participants, organizational
clients, and others with whom they work, and to
minimize harm when it is foreseeable and
unavoidable.”
15. This principle refers to being faithful to
commitments. Fidelity includes promise
keeping, trustworthiness, and loyalty.
- Avoiding conflicts of interests that could
compromise therapy
- Keeping information confidential
- Adhering to therapeutic contract (e.g.,
session length, time, phone contacts, etc.)
17. Justice primarily refers to treating people fairly and
equally.
In their work-related activities, psychologists do not
engage in unfair discrimination based on age, gender,
gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin,
religion, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic
status, or any basis proscribed by law. (3.01)
18. Ethics as a movement away from the
punishment and anxiety-producing
components of ethics
Fulfill their highest ideals
A means to help interpret and apply ethics
standards
19. Broadensa psychologist’s
understanding of ethics in a larger
context
Sensitizepsychologists to ethical
implications of decisions on a daily
basis
20. Heighten
awareness related to ethics
beyond our offices
Assist
psychologists in balancing
competing ethical demands
21. Remedial: Acquiring and maintaining
minimal formal qualifications
Positive: Striving for highest standards
Includes self-awareness and self-care
Emotional competence
22. Remedial: Avoiding boundary violations
Focus on sexual boundaries
Adhere to strict interpretation
Positive: Striving to enhance quality of
all professional relationships
Understand issues related to
multiple relationships
23. Remedial: Fulfilling legal responsibilities
to get consent forms or
Privacy Notices signed
Positive: Working to maximize client
participation with goals and
treatment processes
24. Remedial: Avoiding prohibited disclosure
Emphasis legal requirements
Positive: Striving to enhance trust
Understanding nuances when
working with families
25.
26. A process to change the cultural behavior of an
individual through contact with another culture.
The process of acculturation occurs when there is
an adaptation into an organization or society.
The process involves developing relationships with
those within the culture to learn the traditions,
rules, roles, and behaviors to become part of that
group or community.
27. Our system of common beliefs, shared meanings,
norms and traditions that distinguish psychologists
as professionals.
It is a learned set of skills, bases of knowledge
and ethical beliefs, as described in our ethics
code.
28. Our culture of ethics moves beyond ourselves as
individual psychologists.
Expands into our ability to become connected with the
profession of psychology as well as other
professionals.
Our ethical culture “happens” everyday when we relate
to our patients, peers, or general population.
29. Can be a complex process
Some parts of a psychologist’s behaviors,
practice, and lifestyle may be easily acculturated;
while others will not
Process that may continue throughout the
education or career as a psychologist
31. Meme: a cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of
behavior) that is passed from one person to
another by non-genetic means (as by imitation);
"memes are the cultural counterpart of genes"
32. Identification with personal value system
(high vs. low)
Identification with value system of psychology
(high vs. low)
These are on a continuum more so than boxes.
33. Acculturation Model of Ethical
Decision-making
Higher on Professional Ethics Lower on Professional
Ethics
Integration Separation
Higher on Personal
Ethics
Assimilation Marginalization
Lower on Personal
Ethics
34. Style: Lower focus on professional ethics
Lower focus on personal ethics
Risks: Greatest risk of harm
Lack appreciation for ethics
Motivated by self-interest
Less concern for patients
35. Style: Lower focus on professional ethics
Higher focus on personal ethics
Risks: Compassion overrides good
professional judgment
Fail to recognize the unique role of
psychologists
36. Style: Higher focus on professional ethics
Lower focus on personal ethics
Risks: Developing overly legalistic stance
Rigidly conforming to individual rules
while missing broader issues
37. Style: High focus on professional ethics
High focus on personal ethics
Reward: Implement values in context of
professional roles
Reaching for the ethical ceiling
Aspirational ethics
38. Our level of acculturation and our style of ethical
decision-making
39. Mandatory “floor”
Minimum standards adopted by the
profession
Focus on the law or standards to protect the
public
40. Overemphasis on regulations and enforceable
standards
Incomplete view of ethics
Ethics is more than just a code
41. A means to reduce risk in an uncertain situation
Decision-making strategies to avert problems or
liability of the psychologist
False risk management strategies (memes, such
as the No Suicide Contract)
42. No evidence to indicate that it helps reduce
suicidal behavior
Cannot be used an part of an assessment
Contract implies a legal tool to reduce risk
May actually harm the therapeutic alliance, not
promote it
47. Looking at how well a psychologist integrates
his/her values and behaviors into the ethical
culture of psychology
Psychology has a set of normative principles and
behaviors related to ethical behavior and
appropriate conduct
48. APA’s Code of Conduct
Commonwealth Psychology regulations found in
the Psychology Law and Practice Act
Federal Regulations, such as HIPAA
Court decisions aka case law
49. The APA Ethical Principles and Code of
Conduct do not include a model of
ethical decision-making
Other resources dictate behavior, but do not
highlight how to work through dilemmas
50.
51. The means to comply with a standard may not
always be readily apparent
Two seemingly competing standards may appear
equally appropriate
Application with of a single standard or set of
standards appear consistent with one or more
aspirational principle, but not another
53. Often ethical dilemmas involve apparent conflicts
between respect for patient autonomy versus
beneficence
or
Respect for autonomy versus general or public
beneficence
54. Identify the competing ethical principles
Help to determine which principle has precedence
and why
The importance of emotion in ethical decision-
making and moral judgments
55. S Scrutinize
H Hypothesize
A Analyze
P Perform
E Evaluate
56. 1. Goal is to define the problem by identifying the
conflicting ethical principles
2. Generate a wide range of possible solutions
and identify pros and cons
3. Merge or knit the possible solutions together in a
way that maximizes the benefits and limits the
disadvantages
4. Implement
5. Look back or evaluate
57. “integrative framework”
steps two and three generate solutions that
maximize your personal values within the context
of your professional role
58. Avoid dichotomous thinking– either I have to do x or
y.
For example, either I have to warn the potential
victim of a threat or I have to protect
confidentiality.
59. Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Blink”
Jonathan Haidt’s book on Moral Intuition
Jay Mills article on emotions in ethical decision-
making
60. Fear Passion
Anxiety
Calmness/Centered
Empathy
Disgust
Respect/Sympathy
Disrespect
Positive emotions related to our good
Negative emotions related to ethics decision-making skills and ethical
and moral decision-making knowledge
62. The Fundamental Attribution Error
Availability Heuristic
Trait Negativity Bias
Confirmation Bias
63. Dunning-Kruger Effect: a cognitive bias in which
unskilled individuals suffer from illusory
superiority, mistakenly rating their ability as much
higher than average.
Poor performers fail to learn from their mistakes.
And, they fail to internalize direct feedback from
others.
64.
65. Knowledge base: APA code, Pennsylvania law,
regulations
Become Aware of emotional factors
Cognitive biases/situational factors
Outcomes are uncertain
