Individual Moralities and Institutional Ethics: Implications for theCanadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists

Abstract

Since the creation of the Canadian Psychological Association's Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists in 1986, there has been serious debate about the rank ordering of the ethical principles contained therein, despite a general consensus that the code itself represents a great leap forward in conceptualizing issues in professional ethics, and making its content available to its constituents in the most useful form possible. However, new research regarding the psychology of morality has painted a much more diverse landscape of human moral functioning than is reflected in the current rank ordering of principles within the code. This paper will examine “the new synthesis in moral psychology” and apply its findings to the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Three primary arguments are advanced. First, Canadian psychologists as a profession are more liberally oriented than the Canadian society they seek to serve, and their code of ethics reflects this bias. Second, as the Code of Ethics reflects a social contract with Canadian society generally, Canadian psychologists have a duty to acknowledge moral biases and to understand the ways in which systems of morality differ in peoples of different cultures and political orientations. Finally, in order to address these concerns, it is argued that the rank ordering of ethical principles in future revisions of the Code be dropped in favour of a format that includes raising awareness about the ways in which moralities differ across groups, cultures, and individual political orientations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cracking The Code: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Canadian Code Of Ethics For Psychologists

“…Similarly, Bauman (1993) opines that morality is more of a personal attribute that directly maps onto one's sense of responsibility, going beyond a codified in a set of guidelines or rules that direct the limitations of our duty. Clark (2012) argues that since Canadian psychological practices are rooted within modern Western societal values and politics, and thus embody primarily liberalist morals and values, these positions are uncritically accepted in the CPA Code. Clark (2012) asserts that the superordinate construction of the Code's four principles and their liberally-oriented content may not hold value across cultures that embrace different values and rankings of moral and ethical principles.…”

“…Moreover, he highlights the responsibility of psychology to recognize new research on professional and ethical standards of conduct as influenced by different political and cultural positions, and to update their systems of ethical practices accordingly. Clark (2012) Pettifor (2001) makes the claim that, "The CPA code is more proactive than many other codes in that extra care must be taken not just to behave right, but to behave in ways that actually benefit the consumers of services" (p. 29). Yet several critiques of a lack of cultural relevance or inclusivity to diverse approaches have been made since the CPA Code's first edition in 1986.…”

Cracking The Code: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Canadian Code Of Ethics For Psychologists

“…Clark (2012) argues that since Canadian psychological practices are rooted within modern Western societal values and politics, and thus embody primarily liberalist morals and values, these positions are uncritically accepted in the CPA Code. Clark (2012) asserts that the superordinate construction of the Code's four principles and their liberally-oriented content may not hold value across cultures that embrace different values and rankings of moral and ethical principles. Moreover, he highlights the responsibility of psychology to recognize new research on professional and ethical standards of conduct as influenced by different political and cultural positions, and to update their systems of ethical practices accordingly.…”

The Hoffman report: The lesson we learned (?)

“…However, the problematic part is that, for the most part, those prescriptions fail to take into account the ethical attitude of the person. As demonstrated by Clark (2012), the Canadian Code of Ethics, considered useful and progressive, gave ethical values on which professionals could base their decisions in concrete situations. Yet, it is still not enough as this Code sets an order of values, ranking them, and thus fixing priorities for professionals without taking into account their own inner values and attitudes.…”