Ethical Guidelines and Principles within Psychology ensure the safety of patients and the reliability of the field by guaranteeing that practitioners are held to exceedingly prominent moral standards. According to the American Psychological Association, five main ideas exist, meant to guide psychologists toward the exceptionally utmost of ethical standards. They include benevolence, reliability, integrity, fairness, and reverence for the rights and self-respect of others (American Psychological Association, 2010). Ethics are the utmost example of knowing right from wrong and are the leading hand to psychological practice.
The Importance of Ethics
The importance of ethics within psychology cannot be understated. Beginning in early college-level courses, students are taught that ethics and integrity are the backbone of psychological practice that allows practitioners to act responsibly and with the intention of always performing in the best interest of the patient. This idea is not only important to areas of psychology that focus on patient interaction, however.
The importance of ethics also comes into play in areas such as research and testing. Ethically conducted tests and studies are much more valuable because the information is gained in a manner consistent with the field- code of ethics. As an example: the study of “Little Albert†was conducted by John B. Watson in 1920. During the course of the experiment, an eight-month old child was made fearful of white rats in an effort to highlight the process of classical conditioning. Such a research method would hardly be considered ethical today. As a result of such studies being performed, the APA has banned all similar experiments as unethical. Any test of study resulting in any type of physical or mental harm is an ethical violation.
How Ethics Can Affect the Application of Psychological Principles
Ethical principles can greatly influence how psychological principles are applied to various issues. Seeing a patient and recommending medication for schizophrenia without the use of (or the wrong use of) any methods of psychological testing or evaluation is, not only dangerous to the patient, but is also a gross misdiagnosis. Ethical common sense allows human beings to recognize when one may be using a theory or concept which is inapplicable to the situation and, if necessary, find one more appropriate.
In addition to the personal responses of psychologists, ethics also greatly influences how treatments and interventions come to be used by the field. Ethically sound experiments and research allow therapists to examine ethically reliable treatments. Some might argue that it is effective to use exposure therapy in cases of extreme phobias, but if this exposure caused harm, then an ethical violation would have been made. As a result, treatment is carried out in an extremely controlled environment in which harm is less likely to occur.
How Ethics Affect Psychological Knowledge and Principles
In addition to personal ethics and the ethical principles surrounding psychology, ethics also influence how individuals use knowledge. This idea is especially important to the growth of students and professionals in psychology. A career in this field can be roughly painted in three categories: the beginning of training (often marked by anxiety-driven ethics), the middle of training (where ethical challenges may focus more on personal obligations), and the later end of a professionals career (where a confident mind-set might lead to over-extended confidence when dealing with potential ethical violations) (Plante, 2005). A person- character and integrity greatly influence how ethics are applied - and therefore contribute greatly to growth and development.
Advantages of Pursuing a Psychology Degree
When considering the pursuit of a psychology degree, ethical considerations are only one slice of a very large pie. The knowledge presented throughout the course of a degree program for psychology will give any individual insight into the human condition and how it develops. This information can be extremely useful for a number of professions - because any understanding of people - is an advantage when dealing with people. Ethical considerations come into play when it becomes necessary to decide when (or if) it is appropriate to be using these skills - and whether permission has been obtained before doing so.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the presence of ethics within psychology serves as a protection to both practitioners and patients - and provides a constant flow of ethically obtained research and statistics. Any lax in ethical standards could have ominous consequences - perhaps even calling into question the integrity and sanctity of the field that has helped so many. Following ethical principles laid out in the code of conduct, psychologists can be confident that they are offering the maximum amount of support while limiting all chances of harm.
References
American Psychological Association. (2010). Ethics. Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx
Plante, T. G. (2005). Contemporary clinical psychology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
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