Ethics codes are intentionally written broadly to ensure that ethical standards apply to a wide variety of circumstances. The downside of this approach, however, is that it can be difficult to decipher ethical guidance if the standard is too broad and, thus, ambiguous and open to interpretation. In such circumstances, I/O psychology practitioners must rely on their judgment regarding how best to interpret the ethical standard and resolve the ethical dilemma.
In this Discussion, you will examine ethical standards that are open to interpretation and explore the role of judgment in the ethical decision-making process.
To prepare for this Discussion:
- Read Chapter 6 in The Ethical Practice of Consulting Psychology. Pay particular attention to aspects of the APA ethical standards that may be ambiguous for consulting psychologists.
- Review the APA Ethics Code. Identify standards that apply to the practice of I/O psychology and that are ambiguous and open to interpretation. In addition, read the general principles at the beginning of the Ethics Code. Consider how the principles may be useful in resolving ethical dilemmas that require a high level of judgment.
- Read Chapter 2 in Business Ethics: An Ethical Decision-Making Approach. Focus on the role of judgment in the integrated ethical decision-making model.
- Read pages 161167 in Chapter 8 in the APA Handbook of Ethics in Psychology. Consider the five approaches for making ethical judgments.
By Day 3
Post a response to the following:
Identify an ethical standard that is applicable to the practice of I/O psychology and is open to interpretation. Then explain the challenges you anticipate when applying the standard to the resolution of an ethical dilemma. Use a specific example to support your explanation. Finally, explain the role of judgment in applying the ethical standard to resolve an ethical dilemma.
