Top Five Ethical Principles In Psychology

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Psychology is directly related to the human mind and behaviour. The treatment of behavioural issues requires a deep understanding of the condition and issues confronted by the patient. Therefore, psychologists must follow ethical principles to gain an insight into the person being treated. For this purpose, numerous ethics courses for medical students are offered to ensure efficient services for the people in need. These courses enable the healthcare workers, along with psychologists, to devise a suitable care plan followed by ethical considerations.

If you want to understand the ethical principles in psychology, let’s find them out below.

● Principle # 1: Maintaining Competency

The foremost principle of any profession is to maintain competency. Similarly, psychologists also have to be competent to gain recognition and develop their credibility. It enables them to expand their expertise based on the needs of their patients. Moreover, the competency also helps gather the crucial information and experiences that are further utilised in treating the patients adequately.

The benefits of maintaining competency are.

1. It enhances the skills and expertise.
2. It ensures efficient learning through valuable experiences.
3. It helps in recognising the importance of scientific and professional information.

● Principle # 2: Developing Integrity

Integrity and uprightness are the two most significant virtues in psychology. It is the essence of this field. That’s why psychologists intend to follow the ethical principles followed by integrity to prevent unnecessary inconvenience and misconduct. It also helps psychologists in learning about diversified beliefs, morals and traditions. These factors ultimately support in sufficing the professional needs.

The benefits of developing integrity are.

1. It prevents the chances of incongruence.
2. It provides an understanding of the distinctive roles.
3. It creates a sense of honesty towards the profession.

● Principle # 3: Ensuring The Fulfilment Of Professional Responsibility

Among any profession, the responsibility of healthcare workers is the most critical. Whether it is a nurse, doctor, or psychologist, a sense of responsibility and devotion is significant for all. It is the definitive source of showing consistency and standard conduct towards the profession. For instance, psychologists have a responsibility to adhere to the needs of their patients with complete confidentiality and honesty. This responsibility further reflects the reliability of the medical professional. Therefore, it is imperative to accept the duty that comes with the nature of any profession.

The reasons that determine the importance of fulfiling professional responsibility are.

1. It helps to identify the problems of the people in need.
2. It assures effective services without any inconvenience.
3. It enables to cater to professional duties.

● Principle # 4: Respecting The People’s Rights And Duties

Psychologists have a fundamental duty to respect the right and duties of people. Apart from all services and treatments, utter importance is given to the dignity and privacy of the patients. Due to extensive knowledge and experience, psychologists are well aware of the distinctive traits of their patients. This knowledge provides efficient communication and helps to understand the condition of the patient without any misinterpretation.

The reasons that identify the significance of respecting the people’s rights and duties are.

1. It develops a trustworthy relationship between the psychologist and the patient.
2. It creates transparency.
3. It enhances the efficiency of the care plan.

● Principle # 5: Considerations For The Welfare Needs

The considerations for the welfare needs of others is the ultimate goal of psychologists. This goal provides adequate services needed to enhance the well being and wholeness of the people going through specific issues. As psychologists are concerned about offering support to their patients, they intend to assist them with valuable treatments and care.

To sum up, the fulfilment of the ethical principles above is necessary for every psychologist. Without the presence of ethical considerations, the patient can not get the needed support. So if you want to learn these principles, Probity and Ethics offer tremendous ethics courses for midwives, doctors, psychologists, and other professional healthcare workers. Probity and Ethics is a registered member of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that makes it even more reliable than any other platform.