Professional Issues and Practices Week 1: Introduction

Question 1

explain some history of the APA ethics code

Answer 1

-Founded in 1892
-Produced in 1953 (first code)
-Based on the day to day decisions made by psychologists the practice of their professions, not a prescribed committee

Question 2

what were the initial 6 categories generated by the APA ethics code

Answer 2

-Ethical standards and public responsibility
-Ethical standards and relationships
-Ethical standards in teaching
-Research
-Writing and publishing
-Professional relationships

Question 3

what are 5 categories of concern with the code still

Answer 3

Confidentiality
-Still behind in technology

Blurred, dual or conflictual relationships

Payment sources, plans, setting and methods

Academic settings, teaching dilemmas, training

Forensic settings

Question 4

explain the conflict over state vs. state rules and how it can be good vs. not good

Answer 4

Helps with continuity of care

E.g. different rules and codes among states
-If emergencies happen across state lines, if you do not know where they are or what is around them, how do you know the laws
-If you are practicing across state lines you should know the laws and codes of the state-

Question 5

what are the five moral foundations

Answer 5

1) Care
-Humans are motivated to care for others and avoid actions that would cause harm or suffering
-We know that we all suffer so much intellectually, but some people have a hard time with this and try to prevent suffering/fix

2) Fairness
-Humans value reciprocity and cooperation in their relationships (The Golden Rule)

3) Loyalty
-Humans are loyal to groups with which they associate and will sacrifice their own interest
-E.g. could lead to someone killing for someone else

4) Authority
-Humans respect and abide by the wishes of higher status individuals
-E.g. common in older generations

5) Sanctity
-Humans value purity, cleanliness, and chastity in their behavior
-E.g. often with religion and religious values-

Question 6

why are the five moral foundations important

Answer 6

We do not typically make decisions with our sound judgment, we use emotions

Question 7

what are the different kinds of philosophical systems

Answer 7

virtue ethics, deontological (duty based) ethics, utilitarianism, principle based ethics

Question 8

what are virtue ethics

Answer 8

Professionals have the right mix of motives, knowledge and power
-integrity, respectfulness

Question 9

what are deontological or duty based ethics

Answer 9

Primary goal when making decisions is for individuals to fulfill their duties

Question 10

what is utilitarianism

Answer 10

Moral value is determined by consequences that are involved, lowering consequences

Question 11

what is principle based ethics

Answer 11

-Probably what we will lean more into in this class, obligations hold unless overwritten by a superior obligation
-Lessen the impact

Question 12

what are the six conditions of principle based ethics

Answer 12

1) Good reason can be offered to act on the overriding norm than on the infringed norm
-One principle is overriding the other, lessen the consequence
-First basic concern is to do no harm, you will eventually get to the better answer

2) The moral objective justifying the infringement has a realistic prospect of achievement
-Thinking ten steps ahead, how likely is it that this will happen

3) No morally preferable alternative actions are available
-Nothing else you could have done

4) The lowest level of infringement commensurate with achieving the primary goal of the action, has been selected
-Least amount of harm as possible

5) Any negative effects of the infringement have been minimized

6) All affected parties have been treated impartially

Question 13

what is professional development

Answer 13

developmental process of acquiring, expanding, refining and sustaining knowledge, proficiency, skill, and qualifications for competent professional functioning that result in professionalism

Question 14

what are the two major aspects of professional development

Answer 14

1) Internal tasks
-Clarifying professional objectives; crystallizing professional identity increasing self awareness and confidence; and sharpening reasoning, thinking, rejecting, and judgment

2) Social/contextual dimensions
-Enhance interpersonal aspects of professional functioning
-Broadening professional autonomy
-As you get further along, you should be behaving with more autonomy

Question 15

what are the four components of professional development and professionalism

Answer 15

individual variation, contextual factors, interpersonal functioning, and thinking like a psychologist

Question 16

explain individual variation

Answer 16

-Variability in how individuals develop
-Some are taught, modeled, or facilitated

Question 17

explain contextual factors

Answer 17

Importance of the training and work environments

Question 18

explain interpersonal functioning

Answer 18

-Colleagues, clients, administration, others

-Social intelligence
-Ability to understand others and to behave wisely and appropriately in relation to them

Psychological mindedness
-Facilitates insight into oneself and others

Question 19

explain thinking like a psychologist

Answer 19

-Critical thinking and logical analysis
-Being conversant with and utilizing scientific inquiry and professional literature
-Being able to conceptualize problems and issues from multiple perspectives
-Being able to access, understand, integrate, and use resources

Question 20

what are the best rules to keep in mind when studying ethics

Answer 20

do no harm and consult

Question 21

what is the purpose of an ethics code

Answer 21

-To protect the public (main goal)
-Establishing the integrity of a profession
-Education and professional socialization
-Public trust
-Enforcement value

Question 22

explain the three main parts of the APA ethics code

Answer 22

1) Aspirational principles
-The ceiling, we strive for this
-Answer to a higher authority
-Statements and broadly worded ideals and principles
-Doesn’t attempt to define with precision right or wrong behaviors

2) Enforceable standards
-The things that we should attempt to do; the code does not necessarily say do this vs. not do this, but it talks about all of the things you need to think about
-Describes behaviors required and proscribed

3) Guidelines
-Set of standards working with different groups by the profession
-Bases for remediation

Question 23

why separate general principles from enforceable standards

Answer 23

-The general principles impact core moral values reflecting the highest ideals of the profession
-The 151 standards are cast in behaviorally specific language and can therefore be enforced by the APA ethics committee and other organizations that adopt the code

Question 24

what are the general standards in the code

Answer 24

-Resolving ethical issues
-Competence
-Human relations
-Privacy and confidentiality
-Advertising and other public statements
-Record keeping and fees

Question 25

what are the specialized activities sections

Answer 25

-Education and training
-Research and publication
-Assessment and therapy

Question 26

explain the applicability of the ethics code (who and what)

Answer 26

Who?
-APA members and student affiliates
-Adopted by many psychology programs and integrated into state laws, rules, and regulations governing the licensed practice of psychology

What?
-All activities, all persons, all settings, and all communication contexts that are conducted, encountered, or used in one’s role as a psychologist

it is important to note that you are a mandated reported in all aspects of your life, not just psychology work

Question 27

whom do we answer to

Answer 27

-Our patients and clients
-The public
-Our professional community (including APA)

-Professional code of ethics
-APA (national- ethics committee)
-State specific code of ethics (local)

Question 28

what are the three levels of obligation we have to fulfill

Answer 28

1) Legal
-Mandated reporting, HIPAA

2) Ethical
-Terminating a client early

3) Moral
-Thinking about the moral obligations of the profession overall, acculturation, if our morals are not in line with the profession you could run into difficulty
-E.g. client values collectivism but you value autonomy

There will be times when these conflict

Question 29

what are the four key components to ethical decision making

Answer 29

1) Ethical sensitivity (you need to know that a situation is bad)
-I think this is a potentially harmful situation
-I feel concern about possible harm

2) Ethical reasoning
-The ability to weigh alternative responses to ethical issues
-Must be informed by comprehensive knowledge of standards including laws, ethics codes, practice guidelines, scientific literature, and moral sensibility

3) Motivation to act ethically
-Will you choose to actually do what you have reasoned is the “best” alternative

4) Ethical resoluteness
-Willingness to see the ethical action through to its conclusion
-Requires integrity character and perseverance
-Often requires courage as well
-May well have to do something that is uncomfortable or scary and risks negative repercussions of some kind

Question 30

explain professional vs. personal

Answer 30

-Displacing personal values with narrow interpretations of specific ethical standards can lead to thoughtless or unethical response in the context of the complex moral issues encountered by psychologists
-Psychologists should aspire to appropriately balance personal and professional values

Question 31

what does the task of becoming a psychologist involved according to the ethics acculturation model

Answer 31

understanding new professional values and integrating them with pre-existing moral values derived from one’s own ethical heritage

Question 32

what is the ethics acculturation model

Answer 32

Intersection between personal and professional morality ethics

Question 33

explain what psychological acculturation is and the two major dimensions

Answer 33

Set of internal psychological outcomes including a clear sense of personal and cultural identity, good mental health, and the achievement of personal satisfaction in the new cultural context

Two major dimensions
-Contact and participation with new dominant culture
-Maintenance of one’s culture of origin

Question 34

explain ethics acculturation for psychologists (what it is and when it happens)

Answer 34

-Ability of psychologist to integrate their own values and behaviors into the ethical culture of psychology
-Psychology has a set of normative principles and behaviors related to ethical behavior and professional conduct
-Occurs when there is an adaptation into an organization or society

Question 35

what are the four sections of the acculturation model of ethical development

Answer 35

integration: high on professional ethics, high on personal ethics

separation: low on professional ethics, and high on personal ethics

assimilation: high on professional ethics, low on personal ethics

marginalized: low on professional ethics, low on personal ethics

Question 36

explain marginalization

Answer 36

going by the seed of your pants, not making sound decisions

Question 37

explain assimilation

Answer 37

someone who acts as a robot, does not have authenticity, going by the book strictly, overly legalistic, rigid, only care about what the code says and how do I legally do what I need to do, lack of humanistic side

Question 38

explain separation

Answer 38

not really considering the professional laws at all, how do I make the bad feeling better, let me give the client some money instead of helping them find resources, bleeding hearts

Question 39

explain integration

Answer 39

where you want to be, you can see the professional ethics and you have your own high morals as well; this takes work