Abstract
This paper assesses the relationship between personal values that individuals possess and the professional code of ethics of their respective careers. A case scenario of a neuropsychologist misinterpreting the results of an assessment battery leading to inaccurate diagnosis and denial of disability is used to bring out this relationship. Through the analysis of the standards of the psychological code of conduct, the paper tries to show how personal values and professional code of conduct affect the decision making process. Some of the standards that have been covered include bases for assessment Section (9.01), interpreting of results section (9.06), and release of test Data section (9.04). Lastly, the relationship between professional codes and personal values is shown.
Introduction
In almost all professional careers, there are established codes of ethics meant to help the professionals carry out their mandate to the best possible standards. However, the personal values that these professionals possess affect the manner in which they adhere to the established ethics code. Many are the incidents where professionals fail to adhere to a set of the ethics code in their profession as they are contrary to the personal values that they possess. For years, cases of professionals and clients dispute due to differences that arise from the differences that exist between personal values and ethics code have been on the rapid rise (Taylor & Yang, 2015).
The neuropsychological profession, just like many other professions, has a given set of Code of Conduct and Ethical Principles that psychologists need to adhere. The principles that professionals in the field have to follow are established to make them achieve the highest psychological ideal, meaning that their clients will get the best possible service (Paprocki, 2014). It needs to be reckoned that the standards placed in various categories are supposed to aid the clients in the process of receiving the best possible assistance from the psychologists in context. Now, if a client is having the notion that the psychologist in concern did not abide by the accepted performance standards, the client can very well go ahead and report the issue to the relevant authority.
The existing professional code of ethics and standards apply to everyone in the profession regardless of the values that they possess. Personal values are the things that are of extreme importance to a person. It makes some professionals fail to adhere to established code of ethics, something that is the main cause of the regular conflicts that exist between psychologists and their clients. Professionals are expected to adhere strictly to the professional set code of conduct irrespective of the personal values they possess (Paprocki, 2014). In such incidents, they tend to violate the professional code of ethics as they violate their personal values. Now, a person might be imbibed with the value of transparency. If the case is so that this person in context is bound by the professional values of his or her work to keep a check on the personal value, the possibility of the individual engaging in violation of the professional code of ethics of the profession becomes higher than usual as his or her personal value and ethical code are at loggerheads with one another. In stark contrast, the scenario can be so that the personal value of the professional goes on to be in congruence with the code of ethics in the profession he or she is in. As such, the clients of such a person would surely get the best possible professional service. For example, a person might have the personal value of being extremely honest in nature with the way in which he or she operates, and thus would definitely not condone any under deals (Haeny, 2014). In another scenario, a professional might have the virtue of being honest and it is this virtue that he or she uses while carrying at work. Thus, the professional would definitely be in a better position personally to deliver his or her best in the assigned work.
Professionals in the numerous fields in existence today are judged by the decisions that they make. However, these decisions are to a large extent influenced by either the personal values or professional code of ethics found in their respective fields. The sensitive nature of the decisions made by professionals makes it imperative for them to make the right ones, as there might be dire consequences for failing to do so. In a professional field, the decision that professional makes are supposed to be in the client's best interest at all times. Although professionals are aware of this point, many are the times when their decision-making process is hampered by the personal values and professional ethics that exist (Haeny, 2014).
Thesis: There can be no denial of the fact that personal values have a direct influence on the ethical code of an individual’s profession as personal values constitute part of the individual’s identity that has been constructed over years through a number of factors; ethical code being something that has to be imbibed at a later stage of life, a person’s reception and abidance can vary as per his or her personal values.
The Assessment Standard
Bases for Assessment Section (9.01)
There are numerous standards that psychologists have to adhere to as their code of conduct with one of them being the assessment standard (Apa.org, 2016). Every psychologist must substantiate his or her findings, something that underlines the importance of the assessment standard. Any recommendation that is made should be done after the proper assessment has been made and; thus, the important nature of the assessment made by psychologists. On the assessment standard, one of the things that the code of ethics governing the profession state is that the opinions that psychologists make should be based on the evaluations they make while developing their reports and evaluative statements. With such information, psychologists should resist from making hasty reports as they might give the wrong opinion on a client. However, a professional who lacks the personal virtue of honesty might fail to honour the standard that gives them the instruction of how to base their assessment (Apa.org, 2016).
Relation of Section to the Case
Professional ethics and personal values might affect the decision-making that professionals make (Haeny, 2014). It has to be reckoned that for the people who are in certain professions possessing personal values like that of honesty, it is highly required that the people execute the assessment as ascertained in the ethical code of their profession. But, if a person lacks the mentioned virtue, he or she might go on to conduct the assessment sans following the ascertained procedure. Regarding the case, one of the reasons why the psychologist might have made the mistake of misinterpreting the result of the assessment battery that leads to inaccurate diagnosis is his or her failure to give the opinion on a good basis. It is easy to assume that the psychologist might have used a different source of information in carrying the test examination. However, based on the fact that the client has failed to grant psychologist’s wish of providing the APA Ethics Committee test report and other information about the client that are relevant to the complaint, it might be hard to understand the reason why he made the mistake.
Interpreting of Results Section (9.06)
As per the assessment standard, all the psychologists are made aware about the utmost importance of correct interpretation of any results. Among the constituents of the standard, one of the primary ones is that the psychologists need to reckon the reason behind conducting the entire assessment. Now, if an individual in the field of work goes on to follow the set parameters of conduct with utmost propriety, the chances of reaching the correct decisions also gets catapulted by a huge degree. As such, any psychologist who follows the stipulated assessment standards can avert problems related to wrongly making an assessment (Apa.org, 2016).
In the assessment standard, psychologists are given hints of the numerous factors that might affect their assessment. A close introspection of the matter would enable one to have a better idea. For example, any psychologist is aware of the fact that cultural, personal or even linguistic differences have the potential to have an impact on the interpretation of the data and the judgment of the entire case by him or her. With this notion in mind, any person who has positive personal values can take the call of staying away from the process of assessment of any client if there are certain factors that have the potential of affecting the assessment. Thus, under the influence of good personal values like that of control and self-discipline, any professional can refrain from such conflicts of interest as mentioned making his or her professional life easier with no chance of error or lack of propriety.
Relation of the Section to the Case
In relation to the case, the fact that the client has not yet allowed the psychologist to provide the committee with information about the case, it is impossible to know whether there was any factor that would have made the psychologist to interpret wrongly the results. As such, if the psychologist knew about the presence of such factors that have the potential of affecting the interpretation of result, it is surely unethical on the part of the professional to go on with administering as well as interpreting the result. As the professional must have been very well aware of directives regarding the process of interpretation of results, the act of continuing with the process surely makes the psychologist liable to a criminal offense as he or she is not being true to the work.
Use of Assessment Section (9.02)
The other section contained in the ethical code of conduct for a psychologist is the use of assessment section. In this section, psychologists are urged to use assessment techniques, instruments, tests, and interviews in a way that would enable them to assess the results effectively (Apa.org, 2016). Besides, the section also goes on to urge those practicing in the profession to ensure that the assessment instruments that they use are reliable and valid. With this, it is easy for them to describe the strengths and limitations of the results of the test and its interpretation.
Relation of the Section to the Case
With the information provided about the case, it would be unethical if the psychologist used assessing instruments that are not reliable and valid. The section clearly stipulates that the tests, instruments, and assessment techniques that are used need to be appropriate for the results to be accurate. With this knowledge, the psychologist ought to have followed the stipulated rule. The knowledge that the psychologist knew what was required of him during the resulting assessment would automatically make it unethical had he used unreliable and invalid assessment instruments.
Release of Test Data Section (9.04)
Another section that helps guide psychologists on how to conduct themselves is the release of the test section (Apa.org, 2016). The section in context goes on to state the fact that the psychologists require to have the tangible evidence needed to prove how the assessment with any client was carried out. For example, a psychologist can cite the responses of the patient or even have recordings of the sessions, apart from having taken notes during the examination of the clients. This goes on to ensure that the relevant authorities can access and go on to retrieve the required information if there is any such need.
Relation of the Section to the Case
In relation to the case, failure of the key components that are provided in the situation such as the examination notes and recordings mean that the assessment conducted was unethical. Lack of such crucial information might make it hard for the committee to know the reason why the psychologist made the mistake. Hence, the psychologists are made aware of the need of having documental proof in hand regard any client that they deal with. The fact that the client has refused to assent to the physiologist’ request to give details of the session between them makes it hard to know whether the recordings and examination notes exist. It makes it difficult to analyse whether the blame should be placed on the psychologist. In such a scenario, the situation only gets complicated.
Relationship between Professional Codes and Personal Values
Morals, possible biases, and beliefs form a constituent part of people personal values. These values help define the nature of people as they determine how they lead their lives (Paprocki, 2014). They help them in the process of decision-making. One of the aspects that a person should keep in mind is that the personal values that individuals possess are instilled to them under different circumstances. For instance, there are values that are bestowed on a person from the interaction that people have with their friends, parents, and family. Some people have the value of honesty and being open because of their interaction with their parents. It is imperative to note that the values that individuals acquire at an early age stay with them throughout their lives. The actions that people perform are to a large extent determined by the values that they possess.
Similar to individuals, professional bodies need to have a particular set of values that make it easy for people to recognize them (Haeny, 2014). These values are responsible for giving these bodies an identity. The principles and values that the professional set for themselves are introduced to any individual who joins the profession. When a new person goes on to join any profession, he or she ought to abide by the institutionalized code of ethics so that there are no complications later on during his or her work life. It is needed to note that there can be no reservations on the part of the professional regarding following the code of ethics of the particular profession. This is also a major test of the integrity of the professional toward his or her work.
If the personal values that an individual possesses are different from the professional code of ethics, conflicts are bound to happen. One of the major reasons why these conflicts occur is the reluctance of the professionals to put the values that they have acquired aside for a while and integrate the new values laid down by the professional code of conduct (Paprocki, 2014). It is hard for people to denounce easily the values that they have acquired all their lives and thus the conflicts that occur between personal values and ethical code. This conflict of interest makes there be cases such as insubordination at workplaces. For instance, a person might not possess the value of honesty, a value that is crucial in the code of ethics of a particular profession. In such a scenario, the person is bound to keep breaking the established code of conduct, as it is not in line with the personal values they possess. The same case applies to an individual whose values are in line with the established professional code of ethics. These individuals do not have problems following the already established code of ethics in any profession that they might decide to pursue.
Summary
A relationship exists between personal values and professional ethical code of conduct. The personal values an individual possess determines his or her adherence to the code of ethics. Conflicts often arise if the two set of values are contrasting while the two tend to work together if they integrate together. Using the assessment standard such as the release of test data, it is possible to assess the cause of the conflict in the case study. If examination notes and recordings were not provided, it means that the assessment conducted was unethical.
References
Ametrano, I. M. (2014). Teaching ethical decision making: helping students reconcile personal and professional values. Journal of Counselling & Development, 92(2), 154- 161.
Apa.org. (2016). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Apa.org. Retrieved 25 August 2016, from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/
Haeny, A. M. (2014). Ethical considerations for psychologists taking a public stance on controversial issues: The balance between personal and professional life. Ethics & Behaviour, 24(4), 265-278.
Paprocki, C. M. (2014). When personal and professional values conflict: Trainee perspectives on tensions between religious beliefs and affirming treatment of LGBT clients. Ethics & Behaviour, 24(4), 279-292.
Taylor, M., & Yang, A. (2015). Have global ethical values emerged in the public relations industry? Evidence from national and international professional public relations associations. Journal of Business Ethics, 130(3), 543-555.
