Discuss how the APA Ethics Code fulfills its objectives

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Discuss how the APA Ethics Code fulfills its objectives

APA stands for the “The American Psychological Association” which refers to ethical principles combined with a code of conduct which manage psychologists. The code of ethics which can also be referred to as the Ethics code has several sections. It starts with a preamble, general principles which are five in number as well as ethical standards which are very particular. In the preamble, there is a lot of emphasis on the aspirational goals which are meant to give psychologists some form of guidance toward the ultimate ideals of psychology. These goals should assist the psychologists in arriving at a course of action which is ethical. Most of the standards of ethics are written in a broad manner for the purpose of applying varied roles to psychologists despite the fact that application of the ethical standards may differ depending on the context. However, ethical standards are hardly exhaustive (Aponte, 1994).

A good example is of an employee who used to work for a government institution but was offered a less stressful job due to advice from a clinical psychologist. Further more, the complainant showed the report to another psychologist who gave a different evaluation claiming that the interview that lasted forty minutes was not enough and can hardly sustain the outcome. The test is taken is known as the MMPI. As a result, the complainant found grounds too file for an ethical complaint against the first psychologist (Bersoff, 1996). The complainee had to submit raw data to CSPEC that had been used for evaluation. The information presented was that the complainant suffered from a manic depression illness about a year back. This was two years before the psychological evaluation which stated that the complainant should not be considered capable of handling a higher responsibility at that particular time (Austin, 1990).

CSPEC sought for opinions from two independent diplomats. One of them was an expert in clinical psychology while the other was an expert in psychological evaluation. The rules to be used were in the ethical standards of psychologists. They gave out a final resolution that the complainee the wrong reasons for the right conclusions. MMPI conclusions were inaccurate and it was presumed that they were based on a report given by a psychiatric consultant which the complainee had accepted without criticisms. A conclusion was made that the evaluation was unprofessional. CSPEC offered admonition for completion of future test administration in agreement with the psychologists’ ethical standards. This case attempts to bring out the significance of the APA ethics code in promoting public protection, maintaining standards of the profession and offering the accurate processes for complainee members (Bennett, 1990).

References

Anderson, B. (1996). The counselor and the law (4th Ed). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association publishers.

Aponte, H. (1994). “How personal can training get?” Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 20(1), 3-15.

Austin, K. (1990). Confronting malpractice: Legal and ethical dilemmas in psychotherapy. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publishers.

Bennett, B. (1990). Professional liability and risk management. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association publishers.

Bersoff, D. (1996). “The virtue of principle ethics.” The Counseling Psychologist, 24(1), 86-91.