Tutorialemma
Starting Member
16 Posts Gratitude: 2
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Posted - 05/26/2005 : 15:59:03
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The preamble to the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists (APA, 1981) begins with a declaration of respect for the "dignity and worth of the individual" (p. 633). It further directs the efforts of psychologists towards "increasing knowledge of human behavior and of people's understanding of themselves and others" (p. 633).
The ethical principles which follow articulate the concerns of professional psychologists for the utilization of this knowledge in the promotion of human welfare and the protection of fundamental human rights. Psychologists are ethically bound to use their skills only for purposes consistent with the clearly stated values of the Ethical Principles, and they are specifically enjoined not to "knowingly permit their misuse by others" (p. 633).
Although respecting the prerogatives and obligations of other professions and institutions, we are, nonetheless, obligated to provide information which will serve the best interests of the public.
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AusieAnna
Starting Member
22 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2005 : 16:02:58
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quote: Originally posted by Tutorialemma
The preamble to the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists (APA, 1981) begins with a declaration of respect for the "dignity and worth of the individual" (p. 633). It further directs the efforts of psychologists towards "increasing knowledge of human behavior and of people's understanding of themselves and others" (p. 633).
The ethical principles which follow articulate the concerns of professional psychologists for the utilization of this knowledge in the promotion of human welfare and the protection of fundamental human rights. Psychologists are ethically bound to use their skills only for purposes consistent with the clearly stated values of the Ethical Principles, and they are specifically enjoined not to "knowingly permit their misuse by others" (p. 633).
Although respecting the prerogatives and obligations of other professions and institutions, we are, nonetheless, obligated to provide information which will serve the best interests of the public.
Traditionally, psychologists maintain a self-development attitude toward their clients, except when clients' mental competency is in question, for which occasions a caretaker attitude is appropriate (e.g., restraining a suicidal person). During the past thirty years, however, psychology has witnessed the development of a profusion of new behavioral change techniques and an increased tolerance for experimentation with innovative individual and group psychotherapies. Few would argue that, on the whole, this change has benefited the profession and consumers. On the other hand, the interest in innovation has often blinded psychologists to the ethical aspects of these changes. Too often the focus has been on the effectiveness of new techniques, not their ethical appropriateness.
Certainly, we are not the first to point out this danger. Indeed, some groups have taken action to limit abuses, especially in the field of behavior modification (APA, 19xx; AABT, 1977). However, much more work remains. Corsini (19xx), for example, lists 192 psychotherapies, most of which have been developed since 1960. Many of these innovations use some of the deceptive and indirect techniques of persuasion and control that have been the subject of this report. Rarely, however, have the ethical dimensions of therapists' influence over clients in these innovative psychotherapies been examined closely, even though some techniques, e.g., paradoxical instructions to clients and hypnosis without trance, depend for their effectiveness upon the clients lack of awareness and absence of free choice. |
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