Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct and the article

Discussion: Ethical Principles and Dilemmas

What situations do psychologists find to be ethically challenging or troubling? The purpose of the study described in “Ethical Dilemmas Encountered by Members of the American Psychological Association” (Pope & Vetter, 1992) was to have a representative sample of then-current APA members describe incidents that they found ethically challenging or troubling. These incidents were collected to be used in possible revisions of the current APA’s Ethics Code. Participants in the study were asked to describe an incident that they or a colleague faced that was ethically challenging or troubling. Some of the incidents described also detailed the psychologist’s response to the particular dilemma.

For this Discussion, you will consider whether you agree with the action taken by the psychologist and support your stance using the current version of the APA’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.

To prepare:

Read the APA’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct and the article “Ethical Dilemmas Encountered by Members of the American Psychological Associations,” which discusses real scenarios of ethical dilemmas. Then, think about two of the scenarios discussed in the article.

With these thoughts in mind:

By Day 3

Post  your answer to the following:

Choose two ethical dilemmas in the article. First, choose one in which you agree with the actions the psychologist took. Discuss why you agree with those actions. Next, choose an ethical dilemma in which you disagree with the actions the psychologist took. Explain why you disagree with those actions. Be sure to use the APA’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct to support both of your responses.