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Ethical issues in psychology
Ethical issues in psychology
Ethical issues in psychology
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Psychologists face several ethical challenges when conducting assessments. Notably, psychological assessments involve testing using several techniques to achieve a proposition regarding a person’s personality, behavior and capability (Schultheiss & Stead, 2008). The assessment, usually called psychological testing is conducted by a licensed psychologist as they are expertly trained for better performance and interpretation of results. Psychologists work towards developing reliable and valid scientific knowledge according to the research. They apply their knowledge of human behavior in various contexts to get the required results. The psychologists have a goal to respect the essence of the freedom of expression and inquiry either in teaching …show more content…
They maintain competency throughout their work as they recognize the limits of certain competencies and their expertise limitations. Psychologists render their services using techniques, education and training that they have attained. As a result, they maintain knowledge regarding the scientific information of the services they offer. Psychologists focus on integrity in psychological assessments. Moreover, their clients expect them to uphold honesty, respect and fairness throughout the process as this builds trust (Schultheiss et al., 2008). Psychologists should therefore avoid making false, deceptive or misleading statements when administering psychological assessments. While administering psychological tests, psychologists uphold the respect of individual rights to self-determination, confidentiality, anatomy and privacy (Plante, 2007). Psychologists are mindful of inconsistencies that could trigger conflict and violate these rights. They also strive to eliminate the impact of bias on their work by averting any discriminatory practices when administering …show more content…
In this case, valuable information is collected through interviews. If it is an interview about a child, the interviews will also involve teachers, parents and any other person who is conversant with the child. Noteworthy, interviews are less structured and open in nature hence allowing interviewees to give information in their own interpretation and words. Psychologists usually engage the individual in a formal clinical interview before commencing the psychological assessment (Schultheiss et al., 2008). The psychologist assesses the childhood or personal history, current life experiences, work or school history and family background. Psychological assessments are also administered through observations of the individual subject. If that individual is a child, the psychologists will assess the behavior in school settings, neighborhood and at home. The psychologist will also establish whether the teacher treats every child equally and the reactions of other children towards the child. The findings will provide a better picture of the functioning of the child hence the ease of the psychologist in formulating treatment proposals (Schultheiss et al.,
Psychology is concerned with understanding, evaluating, alleviating, and preventing mental and emotional disorders and promoting human adaptation, adjustment, and personal effectiveness and satisfaction. Psychologists address the intellectual, emotional biological, psychological, social, and the many different behavioral aspects of human functioning across the lifespan, varying cultures, and all socioeconomic levels of humans. Psychology is an absolute science that creates research efforts to find and confirm data about what people are like and why they behave the way they do. Psychology is also a professional practice that provides health care services. Psychology is a merge of science and practice pursuits. The essence of psychology
American Psychological Association (APA). (2002). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. American Psychologist, 57, 1060-1073.
American Psychological Association. (2014). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx?item=3
Francis Bacon helped to pioneer the new science steering people away from Aristotelian teachings. He helped to bring the scientific method to a place of learning from observation and experimentation. He felt that science should be judged by the usefulness of the results (Greenwood, 2009). Bacon projected that many great things might come out of this empirical approach, but what has ensued in the centuries that followed, Bacon and others might not have predicted.
of decisions can and cannot be made on the basis of test data, and how should those decisions be made? What credentials, if any, are necessary to administer and interpret psychological tests? What rights do examinees undergoing psychological evaluation have? Public scrutiny of psychological testing reached its zenith in 1965 with a series of probing and unprecedented congressional hearings (see Amrine, 1965). Against a backdrop of mounting public concern about—as well as legal challenges to—psychological testing, many psychologists in the 1960s began to look anew at the testing enterprise. Beyond being a mere instrument of measurement, a psychological test was conceptualized by many as a tool of a highly trained examiner. The value of a particular
The practice of researching human behavior, which dates back to most ancient civilizations, has become better understood and more effective over time. This research led to modern psychology and has become increasingly broad since the first notion that one person could observe and measure the reasoning behind another person’s actions. Researchers in the field can study psychology as a whole or one of the various sub-disciplines that psychology breaks down into. These sub-disciplines range from the psychology of learning to fringe theoretical psychology. The men and women who conduct studies in the psychological field, referred to as psychologists, continue research in their sub-disciplines to add to the knowledge of the community. Psychologists focus on the study of the mind while clinicians treat individuals that suffer from psychological disorders. Now that I have covered psychology’s growth, I will move on to the ways that psychology currently impacts the world.
The field of clinical mental health is one of great reward, but also one of grave responsibility. It is the duty of the counselor to provide the client with a safe environment and an open mind, in order to foster a healthy therapeutic relationship. The majority of mental health counselors would never intentionally harm their clients; however; good intentions are not enough to ensure that wrong will not occur. The ethical expectations and boundaries are regulated by both laws and professional codes. When discussing ethics, one must realize there are two categories, mandatory and aspirational. (Corey, Corey & Callanan, 2007)
The American Psychological Association [APA] (2014) defines psychology as “the study of the mind and behavior[sic]”, encompassing all facets of the human experience (para. 1). This study of the mind and behaviour is scientific in nature and people who work in this field are called psychologists. Psychologists are interested in studying overt behaviours (actions and responses that can be observed directly) but are particularly interested in studying covert behaviours which are internal processes that cannot be observed directly (Jackson, 2008).
The Milgram experiment is probably one of the most well known experiments in Psychology. The reason being is because its participants were not told what was really occurring in the experiment. After the experiment was over, the participants were mentally and emotionally affected. Later, a cognitive psychologist, George Miller described Milgram’s experiments, together with Zimbardo’s Prison Experiment, as “being ideal for public consumption of psychological research” (Blass, 2002). And indeed, Milgram’s studies, as Zimbardo’s, are clearly meant to be spread to a broad audience, the moral and preventative objectives permeating the experiments from their very outset (Stavrakis, 2007).. In this paper, I will explore how experiments such as Milgram and Zimbardo’s, as well as the Tuskeegee Syphilis Experiment, changed the way experiments are conducted today because of the formation of the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
In psychology, ethics are important because they set boundaries and control the way psychology is used by a set of laws. Ethic codes mainly protect clients from misuse of psychology. Ethics are important because they refrain the psychologist from lying to a patient. They also give protection to the public, clients, and psychologist. Overall, ethics are used to protect the psychologist and client from harm, as well as give control to the behavior in order to ensure safe and effective treatment. http://www.efpa.be/ethics.htm
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior. In psychology, and all of the other sciences, relying on opinions is abandoned in order to find out which explanations best fit the evidence or data given. Science continually forces us to question our findings and conclusions. Over time, psychology has advanced greatly and a main reason for such progressiveness is because of the change in the research model used.
American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 57, 1068.
Personality Tests were originally devised as an aid to mental health and treatment. Even today, the Projective Techniques are considered inevitable by psychologists and therapists when it comes to analysing
American Psychiatric Association. (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychological Association (APA), Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx
Sattler, Jerome, and Robert Hoge. Assessment of Children: Behaviorial, Social, and Clinical Foundation. La Mesa:Sattler, 2006. Print.