Moving beyond Statutory Ethical Codes: Practitioner Ethics as a Contextual, Character-Based Enterprise

Abstract

Practitioner ethics is a complex issue that invokes questions regarding the basis of morality and the nature of ethical decision making. It is argued that the current professional code of conduct and training models based on it are too simplistic and do not capture the complexity of real-life ethical dilemmas. Most current ethical codes are too linear and do not incorporate decision hierarchies, nor do they aim at educating would-be practitioners. A revision of the current South African code of conduct for psychologists is proposed that transcends the present focus on statutory and authoritar ian principles. Recommendations are also made for improving the ethical training of practitioners, starting with improved teaching of ethics and the cultivation of an ethical character.

Patterns of unprofessional conduct by medical practitioners in South Africa (2007–2013)1

“…4 Furthermore, it should also address the divide between abstract theoretical ethics principles contained within medico-legal documents and real-life ethical dilemmas. 3,13 Since guilty medical practitioners should reasonably have known that their conduct would be regarded as unprofessional before engaging in the various unprofessional actions, one may argue that any sanction to attend a medical ethics course could be regarded as 'too little too late' . However, it can also be argued that such ethics education sanctions have potential value to assist medical practitioners in gaining deeper understanding of the fundamental ethical principles that render certain conduct as unethical and/or unprofessional.…”

“…1,2 Codes of Ethics are profession-specific guidelines for members of that profession to make responsible ethical choices and to encourage self-regulation and high levels of professional integrity. 3 These codes should not merely be viewed as a set of legal rules, regulations and/or guidelines, but also as educational and informative instruments that can influence the ethical behaviour of practitioners and assist them in the actual decisionmaking process. 3 However, the codes in themselves do not prevent unethical behaviour.…”

“…3 These codes should not merely be viewed as a set of legal rules, regulations and/or guidelines, but also as educational and informative instruments that can influence the ethical behaviour of practitioners and assist them in the actual decisionmaking process. 3 However, the codes in themselves do not prevent unethical behaviour. Personal and professional integrity motivates health practitioners to maintain and develop high levels of ethical professional conduct as well as to stay abreast of the latest clinical skills and advances through continuous professional development activities.…”

The Development of a Code for Australian Psychologists

“…As codes of practice, unlike codes of ethics, do not provide a context in the form of ethical theories or principles, users have no way of dealing with such inconsistencies or novel situations. This could lead to situations where psychologists feel compelled to follow a standard even though the outcome is not ethically optimal (Burke, Harper, Rudnick, & Kruger, 2006) or engage in lower levels of moral thinking such as rule-following as described by Kohlberg (1976) and Gilligan (1993).…”

An Exploratory Study: Perceptions of Ethical Behaviors Among Psychologists Practicing in the Caribbean

“…The sociological perspective suggests that the formulation of professional ethics is fundamental to the psychologists' professionalization (Colnerud, 1997). Although both perspectives exist, Burke, Harper, Rudnick, and Kruger (2007) noted that one cannot expect practitioners to adhere to ethical principles that are unclear, idealistic, or authoritarian; therefore, codes of ethics should be educational and informative to assist practitioners when making actual decisions. Five widely known practice-based ethical decision-making models (as cited in Bradley & Hendricks, 2002) have been developed to assist psychologists in resolving ethical dilemmas: Corey, Corey, and Callanan (1998);Forester-Miller and Davis (1996); Keith-Spiegel and Koocher (1985); Tymchuk (1986);and Welfel (1998).…”