Law ethics and issues of treatment 151 understand

Law, Ethics, and Issues of Treatment
15.1
Understand legal, ethical, and professional issues related to the
practice of psychology.
15.2
Discuss the positive and negative aspects of deinstitutionalization.
Many laws regulate common activities such as driving a car, buying and consuming alcohol,
voting, and getting married. Other laws strictly prohibit actions such as driving while intoxi-
cated, breaking and entering, and assault. Still other laws regulate the practice of various pro-
fessions, such as psychology, to protect vulnerable people from unqualified practitioners.
In contrast to laws,
ethics
are accepted values that provide guidance in making
sound moral judgments (Bersoff, 2003). Groups including families, religions, universi-
ties, and professional organizations develop ethics to guide their members’ behaviour.
For psychology in Canada, the Canadian Psychological Association’s code of ethics
guides the behaviour of psychologists (Canadian Psychological Association, 2000). As in
many other countries, the Canadian code of ethics contains four principles that should
be considered whenever psychologists make decisions concerning ethical issues. Ethical
decision making can be complex, and the principles may sometimes come into conflict
with one another. The following are the four principles, ordered according to the weight
each should generally play whenever they conflict:
1. Respect for the dignity of persons: This emphasizes moral rights and the right to pri-
vacy and confidentiality, and should be given the highest weight, except when
there is a clear and imminent danger to the physical safety of any person, whether
they be a patient, research participant, student, or some other individual. One
important example of respect for the dignity of persons involves informed con-
sent for research studies or experimental treatments. To obtain informed consent,
it is important that the participants understand the nature, risks, and benefits of
whatever experiment or treatment that they are participating in, and that they are
free to give and withdraw their consent at any time.
2. Responsible caring: Responsible caring requires that psychologists be competent in
whatever activity that they are conducting (e.g., conducting a diagnostic assess-
ment or implementing a given type of treatment). Ethical psychologists know the

abnormal psychology legal and ethical issues CHAPTER 15 539
limits of their competence. Responsible caring also requires that psychological
services are carried out only in ways that maximize benefit and minimize harm.
3. Integrity in relationships: Psychologists are expected to demonstrate the highest integ-
rity in all their relationships. This includes values such as being accurate and hon-
est in their appraisals. For example, a psychologist might be asked to conduct a
psychological assessment of a client who was involved in a work-related accident
resulting in a possible psychological disorder (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder).