Part 3 Flashcards
Boundary
a limit of a subject or sphere of activity
Boundaries: Too Permeable example
Eg. overinvolved parent
Boundaries: Too Impermeable example
Eg. parent neglect leads to failure to thrive
Temperance
Moderation and self-restraint
Boundary Violations
A serious breach that results in harm to clients and is therefore unethical
Boundary Crossings
A departure from commonly accepted professional practice eg. momentary change
Boundary Crossing Examples (4 points)
- Self-disclosure
- Physical contact
- Gifts
- Social relationships/Dual relationships
Core Principles (Tri-Council Policy)
- Respect for persons
- Concern for welfare
- Justice
Qualities to Consent (4 points)
- voluntary
- free from the threat of harm
- informed
- on-going
Privacy
an individual’s right to be free from intrusion or interference by others
Confidentiality
obligation of an individual or organization to safeguard entrusted information
Security
measures used to protect information (e.g., encrypt, lock)
Professional Boundary
the role expectations of the psychologist-client relationship and is the interpersonal territory where most ethical expectations are enacted
Primary Client
an individual or group receiving psychological services intended to help them
A contract examinee
an individual or group who is the subject of a psychological assessment at the request of a third party
A retaining party
an individual or group that has hired a psychologist to provide services
Sexual Relationships between a psychologist and a client (Canadian Law?)
Under Canadian law, sexual contact between a psychologist and client is considered assault, regardless of whether the client gives consent or not
“Permissible Medical Experimentation”
- Containing ten principles that must be observed for research to be considered moral, ethical and legal
- Came to be known as the Nuremberg Code
The Wigmore test
provides a general framework for weighing and balancing the facts of a particular request for privilege in court
Nuremberg Code (1949)
emphasized the need for special protection of children and vulnerable persons against abuse or exploitation in research
Consequences to boundary crossing:
- damage the trust
- interfere with an RD’s professional judgment to the detriment of the client (emotions over well-being)
- hinder a client’s ability to question treatment suggestions
- can compromise a client’s ability to provide voluntary consent
Rescue Fantasies
occurs when an RD’s desire to help goes too far, intruding into the client’s private life
What do you need to do when you need to touch a client?
- ask for consent
- explain purpose
RHPA def. of sexual abuse
very broad including all sexual acts; inappropriate touching, gestures, or sexual innuendo of any kind, photos or calendars, jokes or any remark of a sexual nature
Vigilance
the action or state of keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties
How long can registration be revoked for with sexual abuse?
at least 5 years
Zero-tolerance provisions for sexual abuse in professional relationships (2 points)
- cannot have sex with a client
- cannot treat a sexual partner
Minimum time for a professional to have a romantic relationship with a former client
1 year from the therapeutic professional relationship ending
Examples of Safeguards
- be open, honest and transparent
- reassure
- respect confidentiality
- maintain professionalism
10 steps in making an ethical decision
- Identify those affected
- Consider biases/stress
- Identify principles, standards, guidelines
- Develop courses of action
- Weigh benefits and risks
- Choose action
- Action
- Evaluate results
- Take responsibility for consequences
- Action to prevent future occurances
Bounded Rationality
simplified models; that extract the essential features from problems without capturing all their complexity
Intuitive decision making
- least rational way
- an unconscious process created from distilled experience
Overconfidence bias
Error in judgment that arises from being far too optimistic about one’s own performance
Anchoring bias
a tendency to fixate on initial information and fail to adequately adjust for subsequent information
Confirmation bias
- represents a case of selective perception
- we seek out information that reaffirms our past choices, and we discount information that contradicts them
Availability bias
the tendency for people to base their judgments on readily available information
Escalation of commitment
staying with a decision even when there is clear evidence that it’s wrong
Randomness error
our tendency to believe we can predict the outcome of random events
Risk Aversion
The tendency to prefer a sure gain of a moderate amount over a riskier outcome, even if the riskier outcome might have a higher expected payoff
Hindsight Bias
the tendency to believe falsely, after the outcome of an event is actually known, that we could have accurately predicted that outcome
Groupthink
- group pressures for conformity deter the group from critically appraising unusual, minority, or unpopular views
When does groupthink occur most often?
- where there is a clear group identity
- members hold a positive image of their group, which they want to protect
- the group perceives a collective threat to its positive image
Groupshift
initial positions of individual group members become exaggerated because of the interactions of the group
Group Decision-Making Techniques
- Interacting groups (most common)
- Brainstorming (least helpful)
- Nominal Group Technique (silently ranking ideas)
Four ways to ethically frame decisions and examine the factors that shape an individual’s ethical decision-making behaviour:
- Utilitarianism (“greatest good for the greatest number of people”)
- Decisions consistent w Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- Enforce rules fairly/Justice/Equitable distribution of benefits
- Care
Whistle-Blowers
Individuals who report unethical practices by their employer to outsiders
Behavioural Ethics
an area of study that analyzes how people behave when confronted with ethical dilemmas
Broken Windows Theory (James Q. Wilson)
the idea that decayed and disorderly urban environments may facilitate criminal behaviour because they signal antisocial norms
