Week 3

Question 1

what are the 3 General Principles of the APS Code of Ethics?

Answer 1

3 General Principles of the APS Code of Ethics

A: Respect for the rights and dignity of people and peoples

B: Propriety

C: Integrity

Question 2

Explain General Principle A:
(Respect for the rights and dignity of people and peoples)

Answer 2

General Principle A:
Respect for the rights and dignity of people and peoples

• Psychologists regard people as intrinsically valuable and respect their rights, including the right to autonomy and justice. 

• Psychologists engage in conduct which promotes equity and protection of people’s human rights, legal rights and moral rights. 

• They respect the dignity of all people and peoples

•As a psychologist you must put you biases aside (must treat everyone with respect)

Question 3

Explain General Principle B:
(Propriety)

Answer 3

General Principle B:
(Propriety)

•Psychologists ensure that they are competent to deliver the psychological services they provide

•They provide psychological services to benefit, and not to harm. Psychologists seek to protect the interests of the people and peoples with whom they work. 

•The welfare of clients and the public, and the standing of the profession, take precedence over a psychologists’ self interest

Question 4

Explain General Principle C: (Integrity)

Answer 4

General Principle C: Integrity

•Psychologists recognise that their knowledge of the discipline of psychology, their professional standing, and the information they gather place them in a position of power and trust.
•They exercise their power appropriately and honour this position of trust. 

•Psychologists keep faith with the nature and intentions of their professional relationships

•Psychologists act with probity (complete integrity and uprightness) and honesty in their conduct

Question 5

What are the four ethical traps (Steinman et al, 1998)?

Answer 5

Trap 1: The ‘Commonsense, objectivity’ trap
Trap 2: The ‘Values’ trap
Trap 3: The ‘Circumstantiality’ trap
Trap 4: The ‘Who will benefit’ trap

Question 6

What is the ‘Commonsense, objectivity’ trap?

Answer 6

Ethical Trap 1 is a belief that “commonsense, objective solutions” to ethical dilemmas are always easy to come by because helping professionals are ethical people, and thus, will use this as a guide when they face an ethical dilemma.

There are two reasons why this is a trap:
1. ethical considerations must be guided by the law; especially for decisions involving confidentiality and client privacy rights and the treatment of minors.

	2. The other, more important, reason is the fact that objectivity, in ethical matters, is an ideal that in real-life situations is very difficult to achieve.

Question 7

What is The ‘Values’ trap?

Answer 7

Ethical Trap 2,

The values trap is a confusion on the part of many helping professionals about what professional ethical codes are and what they are not.

Personal values, moral standards, and religious convictions are important influences for most people on the way in which they act, but they are not professional ethical codes.

And when practitioners substitute what these influences teach them for the explicit provisions of their professional ethical codes (often a great temptation), they can fall into Ethical Trap 2.

Question 8

What is the ‘Circumstantiality’ trap?

Answer 8

The third ethical trap is a belief that there are no “right” or “wrong” answers to any ethical questions because the circumstances under which they occurred (rather than the behavior itself) must be taken into consideration in making the decision.

However, while it is true that some behavior may or may not be an ethical violation depending on circumstances, this is not always the case; behavior is often either right or wrong according to professional ethical standards regardless of the circumstances under which it occurred.

Question 9

What is The ‘Who will benefit’ trap?

Answer 9

The fourth ethical trap results from confusion about who will benefit from a specific ethical decision.

Though it’s not often expressed or even recognized, one thing that frequently turns a situation into an ethical dilemma that is difficult to resolve is the fact that a decision may result in both a “winner” and a “loser.”

That is, resolving an ethical dilemma often means taking sides from among two or more conflicting interests, and that makes many of us uncomfortable.

Question 10

Describe the Ethical decision-making PROCEDURE

Answer 10

Ethical decision-making PROCEDURE

1. Problem identification
2. Facts, what is relevant, what else do we need to know, .
3. to whom are we obligated, 
4. what sources are available to us, consult with supervisor, peers
5. What ethical principle/standard is being invoked?
6. Does there appear to be a breach?
7. Frame a preliminary response (intuitive, critical evaluative, applying code, ethical guidelines)
8. Consider consequences
9. Consider our values/morals
10. What ethical trap possibilities are relevant?
11. Prepare an ethical resolution. Get feedback from peers. Take action and follow up