The psychologist's dilemma is that he probably cannot protect his clients' rights, satisfy his institution's needs, and fulfill his own ethical obligations simultaneously.
Emerging TrendsThe daily papers can frequently bring disturbing news to the professional psychologist who considers his assessment duties seriously. As "law deals with analogies and precedents, and the logic that develops in one area is applied to another" (Robitscher, 1972b), the psychologist can now see legal, ethical, and moral trends emerging that are likely to affect his practice. He may also see a necessity for professional introspection and change.The stories presented here were published in June and July 1973, during which time this article was conceived, and reflect trends that may have important implications for all applied psychologists. The first story was captioned, "Law professor says teachers could be This article is a revision of a paper presented in a symposium at the meeting of the
The courts are imposing increasingly higher performance and ethical standards on all professionals offering services to the public. There may even be a trend to impose criminal sanctions on those who fail to meet these rising standards. This criminal punishment is in addition to, not in lieu of, verdicts awarded in malpractice actions for injury (emotional or physical) due to what the courts have seen as substandard or inadequate professional services.A layman generally trusts professionals. Regardless of occasional disclaimers by some professionals, a consultation does not, in the layman's perception, constitute a discussion between equals. This is particularly true in the academic world as students Requests for reprints should be sent to
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