But the choice is not always so clear and there are not always rules to follow. Do I vote to put more money into education or health care? Do I remain loyal to a colleague even if I think he is wrong? Do I keep my word to vote for a bill, even if I change my mind? In these examples, there may not be a clear distinction between good and evil. Every decision we make is ethical, based on our core values. People don`t see themselves as immoral or others as immoral because they break these laws. (a) Psychologists design, conduct and report on research in accordance with recognized standards of scientific competence and ethical research. The rule of law is expressed in codified legal norms. In the United States and most other democracies, laws determine how we will govern ourselves. Over the centuries, laws have developed on the basis of commonly understood societal concepts of right and wrong. Even now, the law continues to evolve to reflect not only our history, but also current ideas about how we want to be governed. Knowing that we can rely on the law gives stability to the country and to ourselves. Hippocrates set ethical standards for the practice of medicine.
In addition to his famous vow („First, do no harm“), he emphasized the principles of charity, non-malevolence, autonomy and justice (Entwistle et al., 2016). These standards of doing good, doing no harm, letting patients make their own decisions and fairness are the foundation of all health professionals. So what is ethics? Ethics are two different things. First, ethics refers to healthy standards of right and wrong that dictate what people should do, usually in terms of rights, duties, benefits to society, fairness, or certain virtues. Ethics, for example, refers to norms that impose reasonable obligations to refrain from rape, theft, murder, assault, defamation and fraud. Ethical standards also include those that prescribe virtues such as honesty, compassion, and loyalty. And ethical standards include standards relating to rights such as the right to life, the right to be free from injury, and the right to privacy. These standards are appropriate ethical standards because they are supported by consistent and well-founded reasons.
(b) Psychologists must provide appropriate training and supervision to their employees or supervisors and take reasonable steps to ensure that they provide their services in a responsible, competent and ethical manner. When psychologists` ethical responsibilities conflict with the law, psychologists are committed to abiding by the code of ethics and taking steps to responsibly resolve the conflict. Psychologists must be familiar with this code of ethics, other applicable codes of ethics and their application to the work of psychologists. Lack of knowledge or misunderstanding of an ethical standard is not in itself a defence to accusations of unethical conduct. 5. Identify competing ethical values. This helps you understand your dilemma. Weigh one value against the other. Both decisions can be ethical. Do I choose a bill that brings short-term benefits to my riding, or am I voting for a bill that harms my riding but brings long-term benefit to the state? Exceptions to the patient`s right to privacy include reporting communicable diseases when the public`s right to safety trumps the individual (i.e., greater good for the many), as well as reporting violent crimes, such as child abuse or elder abuse. Originally, privacy and confidentiality rights were considered ethical principles, but since 1996, the confidentiality of personal health information is now mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA (see Module 7) (US HHS, 2018).
Psychologists maintain professional standards of behaviour, clarify their professional roles and obligations, take appropriate responsibility for their behaviour, and adapt their methods to the needs of different populations. Psychologists consult, recommend or cooperate with other professionals and institutions as necessary to best serve the interests of their patients, clients or other recipients of their services. The moral standards and behavior of psychologists are as personal as for any other person, unless the behavior of psychologists may interfere with their professional responsibilities or reduce public confidence in psychology and psychologists. Psychologists are concerned about the ethical conformity of their colleagues` scientific and professional behaviour. If necessary, they consult with colleagues to prevent or avoid unethical behavior. So what is ethics? Ethics is the field of philosophical study that examines values, actions, and decisions to determine what is right and wrong. The fundamental principles that were fundamental to ethical behavior were established thousands of years ago by the great philosophers Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. In the fourth century BC. They defined ethics as „the science of morality.“ Moral philosophy to understand and justify moral principles If psychologists believe that there may have been a violation of ethics by another psychologist, they try to resolve the problem by bringing it to that person`s attention when an informal solution seems appropriate and the intervention does not violate confidentiality rights. Being ethical is also not the same as following the law. The law often contains ethical standards to which most citizens subscribe. But laws, like feelings, can deviate from what is ethical.
Our own pre-Civil War slavery laws and South Africa`s old apartheid laws today are grotesquely obvious examples of laws that deviate from what is ethical. Metaethics – Discussion of Ethical Theories and Language Recognizing that the ownership of records and data is governed by legal principles, psychologists take reasonable and lawful steps to ensure that records and data remain available to the extent necessary to serve the best interests of patients, individual or organizational clients, research participants or other appropriate persons. Possible ethical dilemmas for case managers may be one of the following: „Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell me is right or wrong.“ Ethics have to do with my religious beliefs. To be ethical is to do what the law requires. Ethics are the standards of conduct that our society accepts. I don`t know what that word means. (a) Psychologists shall not disclose in their writings, lectures or other public media confidential and personally identifiable information about their patients, individuals or organizations, students, research participants or other recipients of their services that they have received in the course of their work, unless the person or organization has consented in writing or there is other ethical or legal authority to do so. (b) Psychologists acquire, groom, use, and dispose of animals in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations and professional standards.
