Ethical principles of psychologists - Research Paper Example

Ethical principles of psychologists Most individuals have some area of discontent in their lives. The stress of these problems may sometimes affect functionality and choices in areas of life, like personal relationships, work place relationships and performance, and social life. The other strong factor in the equation is the individual’s personality. The same situations may affect different people in different ways, and individuals with different personality types are likely to respond to similar situations in very different ways. In the given scenario, the trainer has access to information about the significant events and stressors in the lives of the middle level managers of the organisation, as well as the personality types of these individuals. Given that the information that was wrongfully copied could only be accessed by the managers in the training programme or those on higher posts, all these employees are under suspicion for the crime. A number of reasons can cause a person to steal information from their own organisation. A financial crisis; discontent with the product or with the company; a personal agenda or greed could all be precursors to such behaviour. But even for someone who was experiencing any of these problems, personality would greatly influence the chances that someone would make to choice of indulging in such unethical behaviour. As a helping professional, the counsellor has to maintain confidentiality towards the clients. What an individual tells a counsellor as part of an interview is protected by the subject's right to confidentiality. A counsellor may only divulge the information shared by a client in confidence under two conditions. The first is if there is a possibility of harm to the client or to anyone else, whether person or organisation. The other condition is if the counselor is required by law to divulge the information. The helping professional is under duty to inform the pertinent authority about any possibility of potential harm to the client or to others that may be divulged by the client in confidence. If the helping professional finds information about any significant potential harm to a person or other body, it is their duty to inform the said body or the relevant authority, as is appropriate to the case. The APA sets down distinct guidelines for the maintenance of confidentiality and the duties to inform or warn those who are at risk. It is required that the helping professional maintain confidentiality unless the situation demands otherwise. Under no circumstance should the helping professional divulge information gathered in private sessions with others for personal benefit of any kind. Only if the counsellor finds him / her self in a situation where they have information about significant harm that has been caused or will be caused to another person or organisation; should they pass the information on to the relevant authorities. In the present scenario, there is a dilemma where the professional has to weigh in the value of maintaining confidentiality with the managers, who are part of the training programme, and protecting their information; and helping the organisation that has employed them to find the perpetrator of a serious information related crime. When attempting to find a resolution, it is possible to use a step – by – step technique that helps the professional come to a decision about the most appropriate response to the situation. At the beginning, it is important to examine the situation and see if there is a real dilemma. It is also important at this point to identify the different resources that could be used to understand the extent of the problem at hand. In the present scenario, the professional needs to understand if there is a real conflict at all. The employing agency is the organisation, and so the professional does owe a significant allegiance to the organisation. On the other hand, information obtained about the personal circumstances of the individual managers is information that was collected in order to understand the stressors and problem areas that may be affecting their personal performance at work; and is thus, covered by the need for confidentiality. The training programme is only partly completed; and the understanding of the experiences of the individual may yet be incomplete, and thus capable of giving birth to a bias. Thus, it is truly difficult to decide whether the information procured should be released to the authorities investigating the intellectual theft. In an attempt to identify the rights and welfare of all the concerned authorities, it must be noted that the organisation has the right to be informed about any specific knowledge that may point them towards the perpetrator of the crime; and withholding information pertinent to the crime from the organisation would go against the responsibilities of the professional towards the hiring authority. On the other hand, the individual managers have the right to have their personal concerns be kept private, since these were revealed under the assumption that there would be full confidentiality. The individuals also have the right to be protected from what could be wrongful accusations based on circumstantial information only. It is necessary that the professional study the needs and rights of each party carefully before taking a decision. Also, the completeness of the information with the helping professional is a valid concern. Information that is incomplete and thus inaccurate in its representation of the individuals' problems, personalities and motivations cannot be used to identify the potential perpetrator(s) of the crime. It is first and foremost, important to evaluate if the information at hand is complete in that it can helpful to the investigation at all. Only in the event that this is so, should the professional move ahead. In the event that the information is deemed incomplete or irrelevant to the investigation, the professional should not release it. In case of doubt, it is possible that the professional takes the advice and inputs of another helping professional. It may be communicated to the organisation that in the best interests of the organisation as well as its employees, it is necessary that a neutral party be solicited to evaluate the information privately so that everyone's interests are compromised to the minimum. The professional should also account for the legislation and codes that govern behaviour in such situations of conflict. The laws of the state and centre that affect the situation should be thoroughly followed. Some states will have laws that require information to be handed over during a criminal investigation; some have laws that state that information should be released only if the investigation is about harm caused or threatened to someone's life. These laws should be considered and followed by any professional. Where there are no distinct laws laid down, the professional should abide by the ethical codes of the profession, and should protect the confidentiality of the clients except when there is potential of harm. As the primary employer, the organisation has a right to access information that may pertain to the investigation. On the other hand, the managers have a right to their confidentiality. If the laws permit, then the professional needs to evaluate the information at hand and find a way to reduce the intrusion on to the rights of all parties while still being just. Often, situations like these can be difficult to evaluate for one person. It is a good practice to consult with another professional whose discretion may be trusted at such times. The organisation could be convinced to hire such a consultant to review the data independently; and help in taking a decision. Such a consultant should be competent to evaluate the data collected, and interpret it appropriately. He / she should also be competent to evaluate the ethical standpoint that needs to be taken in the situation. Once the situation and the data have been evaluated in the best possible manner, it is necessary to evaluate the various possibilities open to the professional; as well as the consequences of the said possibilities. Given that the laws do not give a specific direction, and the data is complete; the professional can choose one of multiple actions. The first is to keep the client data completely confidential; regardless of what it contains. This would protect the client’s confidentiality; but would deny the organisation the right to data that has been gathered. It also may be an obstruction to the course of justice. The second possibility is to hand over the data completely to the investigating authority. This solution will help the investigation by eliminating possibilities at the very least; but the trust of the individual clients is violated. The third option is to have a neutral consultant review the data collected; and identify the elements that could be resources relevant to the investigation. This may be profiles of individuals, or a small section of the data of each individual. This option protects all data that is not relevant to the investigation; while supplying the leads that the investigating officer would find useful. On the other hand; there is no guarantee the the chosen option is a complete and accurate representation of the circumstances, since it is still circumstantial information, and not solid proof. Given the possibility that a client has spoken clearly of committing a crime; this fact is passed on to the investigating authority. Of the options, it was decided that the third option – reviewing data, and only submitting relevant information to the investigating authority – was the most fair to both managers and the organisation. Since an expert may be called in to evaluate the data afresh; it is possible to isolate the parts that are relevant to the investigation and only pass on that material; consequently providing maximum confidentiality possible to each individual under the circumstances. Also, the duty towards the primary client – the organisation – is not neglected. Even though this seems the best of the options available; it is not free of complications. The data available only implies a possibility of involvement, and not a certainty. It is possible that the available data reflects negatively on some employees; but the culprit is elsewhere. The reverse is also possible. Knowing these concerns, it is necessary the professional convey in no uncertain terms the need for using caution when using the data handed over. References: American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist,57, 1060-1073. Behnke, S., (2007). Disclosures of information: Thoughts on a process. Ethics rounds. Vol 38, ( 4), 62. Corey, G., Corey, M, & Haynes, R. (1998). Student workbook for Ethics in Action. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Read More