The codes of ethics of the Canadian Psychological Association and the Canadian Medical Association: Ethical orientation and functional grammar analysis.

Abstract

The Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists (Canadian Psychological Association, CPA, 2000) has been the subject of several recent investigations. This work has focused, for example, on the validity of its hierarchical organization of ethical principles. In the present research, we subjected the code to both a content and a functional grammar analysis. Our content analysis was aimed at determining the theoretical ethical orientation (i.e., deontological, teleological or caring) of each statement in the document, while the functional grammar analysis provided information about implicit messages embedded within the code. We contrasted the results of our analysis with those of previous work on the code of ethics adopted by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). We concluded that, compared to CMA's code, the CPA document has greater educational value, is less authoritarian, provides a clear rationale for ethical behaviour, and is more empowering to the decision-maker. We argue that the results of our functional grammar and content analyses have implications for future attempts to improve ethics codes for psychology and other professions.

Ethical Codes in Sports Organizations: Classification Framework, Content Analysis, and the Influence of Content on Code Effectiveness

“…This is no surprise, as the focus in this ethical orientation is on the careful deliberation of (possible) consequences, rather than simply adhering to a strict rule (Morgan 2007;DeSensi and Rosenberg 2010). Our findings seem to contrasts with the opinion formulated by Malloy et al (2002), that the prevalence of deontology holds no risk for the effectiveness of the code, because ''most will follow codes unquestioningly and no rationale is required'' (Malloy et al 2002, p. 457). However, this finding is supported by the results that state that codes with a single ethical orientation have more effect on the ethical climate in sports clubs than codes based on more than one ethical orientation.…”

“…For instance, a certain statement said ''Act like a worthy athlete when you lose a game''. This division according to ethical orientation is also followed by Malloy and Fennell (1998) and Malloy et al (2002). Although expressed in other words, a similar classification is made by Tucker et al (1999) and Farrell and Cobbin (1996) in their studies on content analysis of ethical codes.…”

Harassment Issues in Sport Organizations: Utilitarian, Justice, Kantian, and Existential Approaches to Moral Ontology

“…To rectify the problem of harassment we suggest that organizations continue their efforts to develop institution codes of ethics/conduct with appropriate care for content and form (Malloy & Fennell, 1998;Malloy, Hadjistavropoulos, Douaud, & Smythe, 2002). That is, all members in the organization establish and adhere to a morally sound ethical climate.…”

“…Mill's (1861Mill's ( /19851869/2002) utilitarian approach, John Rawls's (1971) social justice approach, Immanuel Kant's (1785Kant's ( /2001) deontological "practical imperative," and the existentialist perspectives of Sartre (1957Sartre ( , 1975, DeBeauvoir (1989), and Heidegger (1962Heidegger ( , 1966 to represent four disparate moral ontological frameworks that may clarify the issues surrounding both subtle and blatant forms of harassment. These four approaches represent moral ontologies that lead to the best consequences to seek, the right principles to follow, the best way to practically treat humans, and the way to behave authentically for the individual decision maker, respectively (Malloy, Ross, & Zakus, 2000).…”

Ethical behaviour of physicians and psychologists: similarities and differences

“…Although these issues are common, little research has directly compared the responses in the two professions when facing ethical dilemma, but they do seem to approach ethics differently. The two professions have different ethical codes in content and style 7. For example, psychologists have been found to refer to their professional code of ethics when faced with dilemmas, while physicians related to the family context of the patient, their peers’ attitudes and their own personal values 8 9…”