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Examples Of Ethical Obligations Of Psychologists

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Are There Any Ethical Obligations of the Psychologist? This situation is a unique ethical dilemma, as there is no code specifically geared towards dealing with this situation. However, it is clear that there has been unethical and illegal behavior on the part of another therapist, which means that the psychologist in this scenario does have an ethical obligation to report the situation. As discussed in class last week, psychologists need to be ethical in everything they do, meaning that they do not do anything illegal, harmful to others, or harmful to the reputation of the profession. The therapist performed an illegal act by paying a prostitute for sex, which can also be seen as harmful to the reputation of the profession and possibly as harmful to the patient who is a prostitute. As the Ethical Code cannot cover every possible scenario, it serves as a guide in this situation. However, it is clear that the psychologist is ethically obligated to report this situation to the proper licensing board and possibly a law enforcement agency, as the act was illegal. What Are Potential Ethical Pitfalls …show more content…

For example, the psychologist exhibited motivated blindness by not inquiring about the situation more with the patient. The psychologist did not get as much information as possible in the moment, when the patient seemed open to discussing the situation, making it harder to bring the topic back up at a later date. The motivated blindness aspect came into play because the psychologist did not investigate further, almost overlooking the unethical behavior of his colleague (Clay, 2012). If the psychologist does not report the unethical and illegal behavior of his colleague to the proper people, then the psychologist would be engaging in an ethical pitfall himself. In addition, if the psychologist fails to report the behavior, his reputation could be challenged as well, as he has worked with the therapist

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