Specialty Guidelines and Ethical Codes
Comparison between Specialty Guidelines and Ethical Codes
Psychologists work to develop a robust and steadfast foundation of knowledge based on comprehensive research work. Their primary objective is to apply appropriate knowledge to help improve the society. As a result, the Ethics Code provides a set of values where the psychologists build on their professional work (American Psychological Association, 2010). In this regard, although both the ethical principles of psychology and the specialty guidelines for forensic psychologists are different, the overlap and are almost very similar.
They are both principles of the American Psychological Association, and both share the ethical concepts of competence,
How must it be to live in a criminal mind? How must it be to completely loose the sense of normality? I heartily believe that Forensic Psychology holds the key which opens an entire world of psychopathologies, mental deformities, twisted thoughts and repressed needs of bestiality. Besides letting you sink into the most dangerous minds, it gives you the armament to combat everything hiding in there- knowledge.
Psychologists are committed to increasing scientific and professional knowledge of behaviour and people's understanding of themselves and others and to the use of such knowledge to improve the condition of individuals, organisations, and society (APA, 2010). The PSI preamble (2010) states “the authority of psychologists derives from the scientific methods of investigation on which their knowledge is based, and the ethics which govern all their professional activity. They accept that codes of ethics are necessary to protect the interest of clients and prevent misuse of psychological knowledge. The Ethics Code provides a common set of principles and standards upon which psychologists build their professional and scientific work. The following is a rough and general summary of the principles that are addressed by the APA, PSI and BPS;
It is no secret that forensic psychology is an example of an area where psychologists apply their knowledge of psychological approaches, methods and treatments to a specific problem. However, before assessing the implications, it is crucial to establish the research methods used in criminal
In order to effectively work in this area, Forensic psychologists must know the court’s expectations.They must be credible, competent, and concise being able to explain to the court how they arrived at their
Unit 2 homework and quiz: Psychology’s Voice in the Legal System; Psychologists’ Licensing and Ethical Guidelines.
To discuss whether or not the two expert witnesses in the case of Commonwealth of Virginia versus Allen (Va. 2005) acted or behaved unethically, it is important to look at the guidelines and principles of their expertise to determine such. It is essential to revisit or review the APA Code of Ethics and the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists (Professionals). From these two guidelines or documents, one can determine the proper or appropriate credentials, assessments, scope, relationships, as well as the “don’ts” covered in this discipline or respect. The documents will reveal or allow an evaluation of each expert witness’s performance or service to the client to be either ethical or unethical.
Forensic Psychologists play important roles in our legal system, from collecting knowledge and applying it to the law to evaluating the defendants (Greene, 2014). Every case has different factors that effect which Forensic Psychologist will be needed to achieve finding the truth in the court. Likewise with every case, each defendant has their own accountant of what had happened to bring them before the court. In the cases of Alisha Waters and Shawn Smith an Applied Scientist could be called to be an expert witness in both cases. In Adam Parker’s a Forensic Evaluator was called in to evaluate his mental state.
According to Chrisler and McCreary (2010), the American Psychological Association Code of Ethics and the Committee on Ethical Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists warn against dual roles of mental health professionals (p.590) because of the possibility of swaying from objectivity (Greenberg & Shuman, 2007, p.129). This provision perceives that forensic practice involves a relationship with patients that is different from a therapeutic practice. As Greenberg and Shuman (1997) state, these dual roles are incompatible. Chrisler and McCreary
1). Forensic Psychology is the application of the theories of psychology to law and the legal system. Issues of violence and its impact on individuals and/or groups delineate the main and central concerns in Forensics within the adult, juvenile, civil, and family domains. Forensic psychologists provide advice to legislators, judges, correctional officers, lawyers, and the police. They are called upon, for example, to serve as an expert witness, diagnose and treat incarcerated and probationed offenders, and screen and evaluate personnel in the law enforcement and judicial systems. Forensics encompasses a wide range of academic orientation. Synonyms for Forensic psychologists include criminal psychologist,
The Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct, published by the American Psychological Association are the standard guidelines for all Psychologists. Forensic Psychologists are also informed by Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologist. Psychologists practicing forensic psychology can use these two documents to help clarify ethical questions. This paper will focus on role conflicts specifically in the area of Sex Offender Management and the ethical conflicts that may arise as a result and how to best handle this situation when faced with it. When an individual chooses to practice psychology within the legal system, they must be aware that this can at any point in their career lead to ethical conflicts. Just the possibility
As field, psychology was born of ancient philosophy and philosophers, and began to take root and grow in the 19th century (Candalis &Neal, 2014, p. 20). Psychologists started working with, and within, the courts in the early 1900’s (DeMatteo, Krauss, Marczyk & Burl, 2009, p. 185), however, the first big strides for forensic psychology were not made until 1954,
Forensic (criminal) psychology is a job field that deals with both psychology and law. The field has experienced dramatic growth in recent years due to the role of popular movies, television programs and books popularizing the field. Often these individuals are depicted as vivid components in solving vicious crimes or timing out a criminal’s next home. While these depictions of certainly entertaining, yet these portrayals are not necessarily precise. Forensic psychologists play an instrumental role in the criminal justice system while applying psychological principles to the legal system. The crossover of the two spheres is best decided in the Encyclopedia of Psychology,
A Forensic Psychologist focuses on “why people do bad things, why they commit crimes, lie to police officers, and treat their children abusively” (AllPsychologyCareers). There is this fascination with criminals and the psychopathy behind their actions and thoughts. According to All Psychology Careers, this field of study focuses on all types of research in psychology including clinical, developmental, social, clinical, behavioral and neuropsychological to blend together ideas and studies to apply to criminal action. The major focus of forensic psychologist is criminology and law because there needs to be a broad understanding of how the judicial system works and what statutes apply in what states. This type of work can be applied in many different settings such as prisons, correctional facilities, court systems, government agencies, parole boards and research.
From time immemorial, man has been fascinated with behavioral deviations from the normative particularly in the context of crime, or more generally, morality. In fact, classical playwrights and novelists such as Shakespeare and Dostoevsky owe their literary success to their incredible ability to glare into socially and morally deviant minds and weave stories around them. We see a similar trend today. Much of primetime television is filled with shows that have experienced psychoanalysts chasing sophisticated and grossly deviant criminals or some variation of this general theme. The general public tends to relate to the job of a forensic psychologists to that of a cat chasing a mouse. Forensic psychology, however, is a far less
Ethical Principles of Psychologists and the Code of Conduct are very important guidelines in any workforce. “These guidelines serve a purpose to guide and inspire psychologists toward the very highest ethical ideals of their profession” (APA, 2002). There are five major parts of the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct guidelines. These parts include, Beneficence, Responsibility, Integrity, Justice, Respect for People 's Rights and Dignity. These are also known as principals that start from A, and end in E. All of these guidelines are to be obeyed when working in our chosen career.