ETHICS

CONTINUED..
RESOLVING ETHICAL ISSUES

Misuse of Psychologists’ Work

• If psychologists learn of misuse or misrepresentation of their work, they take reasonable
steps to correct or minimize the misuse or misrepresentation.
Conflicts Between Ethics and Law, Regulations, or Other Governing Legal Authority
• If psychologists’ ethical responsibilities conflict with law, regulations, or other governing
legal authority, psychologists clarify the nature of the conflict, make known their
commitment to the Ethics Code, and take reasonable steps to resolve the conflict
consistent with the General Principles and Ethical Standards of the Ethics Code. Under
no circumstances may this standard be used to justify or defend violating human rights.
Informal Resolution of Ethical Violations
• When psychologists believe that there may have been an ethical violation by another
psychologist, they attempt to resolve the issue by bringing it to the attention of that
individual, if an informal resolution appears appropriate and the intervention does not
violate any confidentiality rights that may be involved.
Reporting Ethical Violations
• If an apparent ethical violation has substantially harmed or is likely to substantially harm a
person or organization and is not appropriate for informal resolution under Standard 1.04,
Informal Resolution of Ethical Violations, or is not resolved properly in that fashion,
psychologists take further action appropriate to the situation. Such action might include
referral to state or national committees on professional ethics, to state licensing boards, or to
the appropriate institutional authorities. This standard does not apply when an intervention
would violate confidentiality rights or when psychologists have been retained to review the
work of another psychologist whose professional conduct is in question.
Cooperating with Ethics Committees
• Psychologists cooperate in ethics investigations, proceedings, and resulting requirements
of the APA or any affiliated state psychological association to which they belong.
• In doing so, they address any confidentiality issues. Failure to cooperate is itself an ethics
violation.
Improper Complaints
• Psychologists do not file or encourage the filing of ethics complaints that are made with
reckless disregard for willful ignorance of facts that would disprove the allegation.
Unfair Discrimination Against Complainants and Respondents
• Psychologists do not deny persons employment, advancement, admissions to academic or
other programs, tenure, or promotion, based solely upon their having made or their being
the subject of an ethics complaint.
• This does not preclude taking action based upon the outcome of such proceedings or
considering other appropriate information.
COMPETENCE

Boundaries of Competence
• Psychologists provide services, teach, and conduct research with populations and in areas
only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training,
supervised experience, consultation, study, or professional experience.
• Where scientific or professional knowledge in the discipline of psychology establishes
that an understanding of factors associated with age, gender, gender identity, race,
ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, or
socioeconomic status is essential for effective implementation of their services or
research, psychologists have or obtain the training, experience, consultation, or
supervision necessary to ensure the competence of their services, or they make
appropriate referrals, except as provided in Standard 2.02.
• Psychologists planning to provide services, teach, or conduct research involving
populations, areas, techniques, or technologies new to them undertake relevant
education, training, supervised experience, consultation, or study.
• When psychologists are asked to provide services to individuals for whom appropriate
mental health services are not available and for which psychologists have not obtained
the competence necessary, psychologists with closely related prior training or experience
may provide such services to ensure that services are not denied if they make a
reasonable effort to obtain the competence required by using relevant research, training,
consultation, or study.
• In those emerging areas in which generally recognized standards for preparatory training
do not yet exist, psychologists nevertheless take reasonable steps to ensure the
competence of their work and to protect clients/patients, students, supervisees, research
participants, organizational clients, and others from harm.
• When assuming forensic roles, psychologists are or become reasonably familiar with the
judicial or administrative rules governing their roles.
Providing Services in Emergencies
• In emergencies, when psychologists provide services to individuals for whom other
mental health services are not available and for which psychologists have not obtained
the necessary training, psychologists may provide such services to ensure that services
are not denied. The services are discontinued as soon as the emergency has ended, or
appropriate services are available.
Maintaining Competence
• Psychologists undertake ongoing efforts to develop and maintain their competence.
Bases for Scientific and Professional Judgments
• Psychologists’ work is based upon established scientific and professional knowledge of
the discipline.
Delegation of Work to Others
• Psychologists who delegate work to employees, supervisees, or research or teaching
assistants or who use the services of others, such as interpreters, take reasonable steps
to (1) avoid delegating such work to persons who have a multiple relationship with those
being served that would likely lead to exploitation or loss of objectivity; (2) authorize
only those responsibilities that such persons can be expected to perform competently
on the basis of their education, training, or experience, either independently or with the
level of supervision being provided; and (3) see that such persons perform these services
competently.
Personal Problems and Conflicts
• a) Psychologists refrain from initiating an activity when they know or should know that
there is a substantial likelihood that their personal problems will prevent them from
performing their work-related activities in a competent manner.
• (b) When psychologists become aware of personal problems that may interfere with
their performing work-related duties adequately, they take appropriate measures, such as
obtaining professional consultation or assistance, and determine whether they should
limit, suspend, or terminate their work-related duties.
Human Relations
• Unfair Discrimination In their work-related activities, psychologists do not engage in
unfair discrimination based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national
origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, or any basis proscribed
by law.
Harassment
• Psychologists do not knowingly engage in behavior that is harassing or demeaning to
persons with whom they interact in their work based on factors such as those persons’
age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual
orientation, disability, language, or socioeconomic status.
Avoiding Harm
• (a) Psychologists take reasonable steps to avoid harming their clients/patients, students,
supervisees, research participants, organizational clients, and others with whom they
work, and to minimize harm where it is foreseeable and unavoidable. (b) Psychologists do
not participate in, facilitate, assist, or otherwise engage in torture, defined as any act by
which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a
person, or in any other cruel, inhuman, or degrading behavior that violates 3.04a.
Multiple Relationships
• (a) A multiple relationship occurs when a psychologist is in a professional role with a
person and (1) at the same time is in another role with the same person, (2) at the same
time is in a relationship with a person closely associated with or related to the person
with whom the psychologist has the professional relationship, or (3) promises to enter
into another relationship in the future with the person or a person closely associated
with or related to the person.
Conflict of Interest
• Psychologists refrain from taking on a professional role when personal, scientific,
professional, legal, financial, or other interests or relationships could reasonably be
expected to (1) impair their objectivity, competence, or effectiveness in performing their
functions as psychologists or (2) expose the person or organization with whom the
professional relationship exists to harm or exploitation.
Third-Party Requests for Services
• When psychologists agree to provide services to a person or entity at the request of a
third party, psychologists attempt to clarify at the outset of the service the nature of the
relationship with all individuals or organizations involved. This clarification includes the
role of the psychologist (e.g., therapist, consultant, diagnostician, or expert witness), an
identification of who is the client, the probable uses of the services provided or the
information obtained, and the fact that there may be limits to confidentiality.