The APA (2010) ethical principle of nonmaleficence, otherwise known as “do no harm,” plays a vital role in guiding effective treatment and services for those in need. The principle of nonmaleficence also protects research participants from psychological and emotional harm by having the prospective study go through the Institutional Review Board (IRB) (APA, 2010, Standard 8.01). The IRB ensures that participants receive informed consent (APA, 2010, Standard 8.02) and, if there was minor deception, debriefing after the study (APA, 2010, Standard 8.08). Unfortunately, the role of the psychologists in the Abu Ghraib interrogation, the infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment, and claims of Little Albert as neurologically disabled did not follow the …show more content…
The theory of “groupthink,” developed by Irving Janis in 1972, was evident in military personnel’s apathy in intervening to higher ups regarding the violent interrogation practices (Post & Panis, 2011). Post and Panis cited three signs of Janis’ (1972) groupthink theory: “overestimation of the group, closed-mindedness, and pressures towards uniformity” (p. 60). The researchers cited evidence of “overestimation of the group” in military personnel when the personnel began to view themselves as almighty and immoral towards other groups that had different ideologies and beliefs (Post & Panis, 2011). These grandiose beliefs then influenced “closed-mindedness” in military personnel since they carried the stereotype of all Islamic people representing Al Qaeda (Post & Panis, 2011). The researchers then cited President George W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s critical need for information from the Abu Ghraib prisoners as “pressures of uniformity” (Post & Panis, 2011). It is unfortunate that the Army Air Force psychologists, such as James Mitchell, failed to eliminate the groupthink within the CIA and military personnel. Instead, the Army Air Force psychologist participated under an $8 million private contract with the CIA to re-enforce, implement, and …show more content…
Freimuth and colleagues (2001) examined a wealth of research suggesting that the dark history of the Tuskegee study increased African Americans’ skepticism towards medical science. Since there was paucity in qualitative studies of African Americans, the authors interviewed around sixty African-American participants from four U.S. cities (Freimuth et al., 2001). Participants were asked to share their knowledge of the Tuskegee study and their feelings towards participating in medical research (Freimuth et al., 2001). African American participants unfortunately cited that the medical researchers’ motives for performing studies that required human participation ranged in monetary gain to personal success (Freimuth et al., 2001). Some participants in Freimuth et al.’s (2001) study admitted that they were not fully cognizant of the informed consent process and would usually accept participation without knowing their rights. This finding poses a serious ethical issue that violates the principle of nonmaleficence (APA, 2010). When participants viewed a Hollywood film portraying the Tuskegee study, they felt that African Americans were poorly represented in the film (Freimuth et al., 2001). They cited several stereotypes of African Americans within the
One part of this dilemma is the value of advancing the science of psychology, a value central to the Association's mission as APA's core texts emphasize versus the considering for the harm and pain caused to its participants in the research. (cite) In the Tuskegee case, the limited deception principle was violated. Uneducated participants were coerced into the research without clear understanding about the goal of the study as well as the purpose of the research and withholding of the treatment. Participants received free screenings, physicals, lumbar punctures but did not receive the medicine to treat syphilis.
What is groupthink? There is a simple definition for it, but is it truly that simple? The term groupthink refers to the inclination of group members to have the same opinions and beliefs; it frequently leads to mistakes. It often occurs without an individual being aware of it. Conflict is considered to be a harmful element when related to groups, but conflict is good when considering groupthink because it helps to eliminate the existence of a groupthink. The explanation sounds simple enough, but it is more complex than the description given.
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was an unethical prospective study based on the differences between white and black males that began in the 1930’s. This study involved the mistreatment of black males and their families in an experimental study of the effects of untreated syphilis. With very little knowledge of the study or the disease by participants, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study can be seen as one of the worst forms of injustices in the United States history. Even though one could argue that the study was originally intended to be for good use, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study was immoral and racist because only poor, uneducated black males were used in experiment, the participants were not properly informed of their participation in the
In todays society, the common consensus about human experimentation is that it is unethical, however, people in the past believed it was necessary to advance scientific discoveries. The Tuskegee syphilis study is a prime example of how scientists in the past disregarded the ethics of human experimentation to enhance scientific research. The study was an experiment where four- hundred to six-hundred uneducated African American men were tricked into being tested. Most of the patients were injected with the disease and left without treatment to discover its effects, while the others were safe being used as controls. This experiment lasted for Forty years and was probably the biggest example of unethical human experimentation in America. Fortunatley, the contrivertial actions taken in the experiment lead future generations to create the law of informed consent where the patient understands what will happen during their treatment. The inspiration for researching this topic was how in “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”, by Rebecca Skloot, Henrietta was used for a scientific study without her consent. In relation to Henrietta, the men in the syphilis study were not aware of what was happening to them and were experimented on without their consent. Overall, the human experimentation in the Tuskegee syphilis study was unethical in many ways.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller, explains the marvels of witchcraft and the world of “magic”, which unravels a set of confusing disasters in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. While confronted between a choice of life and death, situations hastily get out of hand, and soon become uncontrollable. These events are based on true happenings that led to the writing of this play, which contains the themes mass hysteria, groupthink, and abuse of power. The vast world of witchcraft may not have seemed too intimidating, but it is proven that it’s more dangerous than one can truly imagine.
There are a multitude of constituents that could be modified to make these unprincipled studies ethical for subjects. The Tuskegee syphilis study was an unscrupulous experiment that illustrated the significance of morality in human experimentations. A noteworthy alteration that would be made is guaranteeing that every participant in experiments are given a full assessment of the dangers that can arise from the experiment. Consent was an element that was fundamentally nonexistent in the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, resulting in the study being expressively immoral. In addition, a momentous ethical and legal issue involved in the Tuskegee study were the counterfeited information given to the subjects and the community. David Smolin, the author of the “Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, Social Change, and the Future
The Tuskegee syphilis experiment was an infamous clinical study conducted between 1932-1972 in Macon Country, Alabama by the U.S Public Health Service. The purpose was to study the natural progression of untreated syphilis in rural African American men who thought they were receiving free health care from the U.S government; about four hundred African American men were denied. The doctors that were involved in this study had a shifted mindset; they were called “racist monsters”; “for the most part, doctors and civil servants simply did their jobs. Some merely followed orders, others worked for the glory of science” (Heller) The men that were used for the study got advantage of, especially those
Skloot discussed the Tuskegee Study and how a research project on hundreds of poor African-American men was conducted without proper informed consent and manipulative bribing. With what happened to the Lacks family, being so close to the “Tuskegee Experiment” era, the introduction of informed consent and federal regulations was making its way into becoming a bigger issue and necessity. Some argue heavily that there were not Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) to hold hospitals and medical research accountable in their work. With ethics and principles absent, hospitals were doing what they were accustomed
Tuskegee – The doctors violated this principle by not informing the study subjects of the details of the study itself. The subjects were informed they were going to be treated for “bad blood” (CDC, 2015). At the time “bad blood” could have meant syphilis or it could have meant anemia or fatigue. None of the patients received treatment to cure their illness. Additionally, none were ever informed that they were in fact part of a study to document how syphilis progresses when left untreated. These were autonomous men who had vital information withheld from them while being subjects in a research study.
Though it has been apparent that people of color have been treated as a subclass within the medical field for centuries; as was brought to light in The Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the recognition of forced hysterectomies and sterilizations of African American women in the 20th century and, to “The Negro Project” which worked to reduce the African American population through eugenics (Feagin & Bennefield, 2014). With even these three examples it is clear that the medical field has played a large role in creating both psychological and physical disadvantages and trauma for minority groups in America. Yet, it seems to be a subject that many professionals refuse to address. A meta-analysis conducted by Mayberry, Mili and Ofili found that,
Is human experimentation appropriate? Should people be given the right to informed consent if the research could result in possible harm? Is human experimentation in light of the Tuskegee study justified? These are just some of the questions that arose during the presentation of the film Deadly Deception. This film featured the government sponsored Tuskegee experiment and documents this forty year study of untreated syphilis in the black males of Macon County, Alabama. This review will examine the film Deadly Deception in light of the appropriateness of human experimentation and the right for informed consent as well as the different ethical and moral views that may arise as a response to what occurred.
The Tuskegee Experiment, is one of the most well known blunders of United States medical research in the 20th century. Not only was it entirely unethical and inhumane, but it also highlighted the problems of racism and inequality in the medical world and the entire country at that time. By examining and reviewing the history, consequences, racism, results, and conclusion of the Tuskegee Experiment, it can perhaps shed some light on the barbaric events that transpired throughout the research.
The book, Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, by James H. Jones, was one of the most influential books in today’s society. The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment study began in 1932 and was terminated in 1972. This book reflects the history of African Americans in the mistrust of the health care system. According to Colin A. Palmer, “James H. Jones disturbing, but enlightening Bad Blood details an appalling instance of scientific deception. This dispassionate book discusses the Tuskegee experiment, when a group of physicians used poor black men as the subjects in a study of the effects of untreated syphilis on the human body”(1982, p. 229). In addition, the author mentioned several indications of discrimination, prejudice, and stereotype toward this population. Also, this book provides multiple incidents of the maltreatment of human beings. The reader is able to identify the incompetence of the helping professions and violation of human rights, ethical issues, and dehumanize African Americans.
As people, when confronted with a problem where a solution must be found, our ideal situation is to come up with the best possible one. To do this, we ideally gather the most knowledgeable, intelligent individuals into a group and attempt to derive the best solution to the problem. With the collection of these people, one would think that finding the best possible answer to the problem would be a rather simple task. However, what has happened in many situations is the complete opposite. Rather than finding the best possible solutions, many ideal, cohesive groups arrive at the worst possible answer largely due to problems in communication within the group. This is what we call the radical theory of
The Hippocratic maxim “do not harm” has long been a fundamental principle of medical ethics and it requires physicians to benefit their patients according to their best judgment. Who ought to receive the benefits of research and bear its burden? This is a question of justice, in the sense of fairness in the distribution. An injustice occurs when some benefits to which a person is entitled without good reasons. In case of Tuskegee study, the medical professional violated the Hippocratic Oath and the burden of the research was unduly imposed on the African-American