Ethics and Deontology in Psychology

Code:

P404

Acronym:

EDP

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Social and Human Sciences

Instance: 2014/2015 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	http://moodle.up.pt/course/view.php?id=808
Responsible unit:	Psychology
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master Psychology

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIPSI	167	Official Curricular Structure	1	-	3	30	81

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

To make students able to:

1. Identify, recognize and critically reflect the politic, axiologic, ethic and deontological dimensions of psychology, as science and profession, emphasizing psychology professional practices.

2. Differentiate ethic and deontology as regulatory dimensions of the professional practice of psychology considering structures (principles) and processes (norms/rules).

3. Integrate the structuring ethic, axiologic and deontological elements of the psychologist professional culture.

4. Understand and critically appreciate normative documents of the psychologist profession, namely general and sectorial deontologic codes (American, European and Portuguese codes) and quality patterns of the psychology practice.

5. Mobilize ethic principles and values and deontological norms and rules in specific situations and contexts in which is performed the professional role of psychologist.

6. Recognize the importance of the things learned about ethics and deontology by applying it to/in the immediate context of their education as students of psychology.

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of the curricular unit, students should be able to:

1. Identify, recognize and critically reflect the politic, axiologic, ethic and deontological dimensions of psychology, as science and profession, emphasizing psychology professional practices.

2. Differentiate ethic and deontology as regulatory dimensions of the professional practice of psychology considering structures (principles) and processes (norms/rules).

3. Integrate the structuring ethic, axiologic and deontological elements of the psychologist professional culture.

4. Understand and critically appreciate normative documents of the psychologist profession, namely general and sectorial deontologic codes (American, European and Portuguese codes) and quality patterns of the psychology practice.

5. Mobilize ethic principles and values and deontological norms and rules in specific situations and contexts in which is performed the professional role of psychologist.

6. Recognize the importance of the things learned about ethics and deontology by applying it to/in the immediate context of their education as students of psychology

 

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Philosophic and psychological frame of the ethical dimension of human action; clarification of “professional ethic” and “professional deontology” concepts; characterization of the psychologist profession.

2. The psychologists’ professional development: recovery of Perry, Cooper and Lewis (ethical and epistemological development) and Kolhberg (moral thinking development) models; nature of the ethical and axiological compromises of the psychologist and of the interest conflicts; ethic, deontology, culture and politics in psychological intervention and research.

3. Defining groups of problems and population groups especially relevant to a reflexive learning about the ethic and deontologic skilled professional practice.

4. Ethic and deontologic implications of the psychologist profession organization and of its regulation and access.

5. Presentation and discussion of ethic-deontological problems/dilemmas associated to the professional practice of psychology and, more immediately, to situations relating to the students behavior during the training process in the academic environment.

Mandatory literature

Bersoff, D.; Ethical conflicts in Psychology (2nd Edition), Washington: American Psychological Association , 1999
Fisher Celia B.; Decoding the ethics code. ISBN: ISBN 0-7619-2619-4
Francis, R., D.; Ética para psicólogos, Lisboa: Instituto Piaget, 2004
Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses ; Código deontológico, Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses , 2011
O.Donohue William ed.; Handbook of professional ethics for psychologists. ISBN: ISBN 0-7619-1189-8
Ricou, M.; Ética e Psicologia: Uma prática integrada, , Coimbra: Gráfica de Coimbra, 2004
Miguel Ricou; Ética e Deontologia no Exercício Profissional da Psicologia, OPP, 2014

Complementary Bibliography

American Psychological Association ; Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, American Psychological Association , 2002
Federação Europeia de Associações de Psicólogos; Código geral de ética para psicólogos. , Federação Europeia de Associações de Psicólogos, 1995
Prilleltensky, I. ; The Morals and Politics of Psychology: Psychological Discourse and the Status Quo , State University of New York Press, 1994
Taborda, M. (Coord.); Ética em Psiquiatria, Ordem dos Médicos: Colégio de Psiquiatria, 1992

Teaching methods and learning activities

Small groups of students will be involved in the construction, analysis and discussion of dilemmas associated with either the practice of psychological intervention and research or with different aspects of living and behaving in the academic environment. The exploration of the dilemmas in question presupposes, on the one hand, the use of the Code of Ethics of Portuguese Psychologists and, on the other hand, students' reflective judjment of students with respect to the situations involved in the dilemma. The issues of  psychological intervention and research ethics will be approached considering students' level of training and introducing, where appropriate and useful, topics that make them more sensitive to the accomplishment of ethic principles even during their training process (e.g., how to manage appropriately interpersonal relations with peers and third persons, the need to respect copyright and author property in any academic work they will develop, on so on). This work will be developed inside and outside the classroom contact times. At the end of the semester each group shall submit a written further reflection about two dilemmas: one chosen from those that have been discussed in class and another one that they will be allowed to identify/formulate by themselves; in one of the dilemmas they shoud represent ethical and deontological issues associated to their future role as psychologists and, in the other dilemma, ethical aspects related to their current role as students.

Software

Não aplicável

keywords

Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Psychology

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	25,00
Trabalho escrito	75,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Elaboração de relatório/dissertação/tese	40,00
Estudo autónomo	15,00
Frequência das aulas	26,00
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

Student's must achieve at least grade 10 in final grade.

Calculation formula of final grade

Students’ final grade will be estimated considering two components:

1. Quality of the group performance (dilemmas construction and discussion) during class (25%);

2. Quality of the reflexive content and process presented in the wrtitten final work (75%).

Examinations or Special Assignments

Non applicable

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Students in this condition (those who benefits from class dismiss) are subject to the same plan of ativities plan, assessement and grade improvement system of the other students.

Classification improvement

When it justifies, for the attempt of final grade improvement or for 2nd chance evaluation, students should develop a writen individual work about a particular subject to be defined by the professor.