It's about time we had a professional oath in psychology

Abstract

Symbols and ceremony are an important element in the formation and continuation of all societies. They enunciate the values of the citizenry or the membership of the society, and often provide the only tangible representation of those values. Furthermore, little has been written about the process of ''formation'' of identity of professional psychologists. One issue that has received little attention in terms of its symbolic importance as well as its capacity to aid formation concerns the development of an oath for professional psychologists. This paper considers the need for a professional oath for Australian psychologists. The concept of the professional oath is explored, and an examination of the merits of adopting a professional oath is considered. The practical issues of adopting a professional oath will then be briefly examined. The paper concludes by recommending that professional oath taking by psychologists be initiated as a matter of high priority.

Development of the Murdoch Chiropractic Graduate Pledge

“…102 Even though oaths do not guarantee ethical behavior and do not impose a legal obligation on the taker, there has been an obvious resurgence in interest in oaths. 3,4,56,99,[103][104][105] In 1928 fewer than 25% of medical schools in the United States and Canada required graduating students to take an oath, 5 whereas in 2004 almost every medical school in the United States administered a professional oath. 41 Figures from 2002 indicate that 58% of medical schools in Australia and New Zealand required graduating medical students to make a declaration of ethical commitment.…”

“…1 In recognition of the desirability to make an oath "pragmatically modern," 2 other health care professions established this precedent by reviewing their professional oath, in one instance after maintaining the same text for 300 years, and in other instances the oath is revised annually by students. [3][4][5][6][7] The terms of reference of the newly formed Murdoch Oath Committee (MOC) was to develop a Murdoch graduate oath that embodied the spirit of the professional oath and at the same time embraced the School's ethos of evidence-based, patient-centered care and social justice.…”