Ethical Standards and Codes
A clear distinction between personal and professional ethics exists. Although each individual believes in some form of ethics, varying perspectives are individually held. In order for advancement in one’s personal career it becomes essential to first discover the ethics and morals he/she maintains in life. Once a person is able to sustain the principles of ethics in his/her personal life the individual is then able to then uphold the same ethics in his/her professional life. In the field of psychology ethics are an essential part of practice and theory. The American Psychological Association (APA) is emphatic in the ethics which set a standard of right and wrong as well as a standard of fairness and equality to the field of psychology. The following will discuss ethical standards and codes which are the building blocks of psychological standards and will investigate the influence of social norms for the further development and advancement of ethical standards and codes. This paper will also examine the influence of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) ethical standards and codes on professional practice in the field of psychology. Lastly the importance of professional ethical standards and codes will be examined in the field of psychology. What exactly are ethical standards and codes?
Define Ethical Standards and Codes
Every profession has distinct ethical obligations to the public (APA, 1985). These obligations include professional competency, integrity, honesty, confidentiality, objectivity, public safety, and fairness, all which are intended to preserve and safeguard public confidence. The field of ethics, also called moral philosophy, involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior. Philosophers today usually divide ethical theories into three general subject areas: met-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics (Fieser, 2008). The meta-ethics is where our ethics...