Twenty-first Century Ethical Challenges for Psychology

• Published in: The American psychologist Vol. 62; no. 5; pp. 375 - 384
• Main Author: Koocher, Gerald P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Psychological Association 01.07.2007
• Subjects: Computer Mediated Communication; Confidentiality - ethics; Confidentiality - trends; Counseling Techniques; Delivery Systems; Ethics; Ethics, Professional; Forecasting; Health Promotion; Humans; Mental Health; Psychiatry; Psychiatry - ethics; Psychiatry - trends; Psychologists; Psychology; Psychology - ethics; Psychology - trends; Psychotherapy - ethics; Psychotherapy - trends; Remote Consultation - ethics; Remote Consultation - trends; Social Change; Specialization - trends; Telecommunications; United States; Well Being; United States
• ISSN: 0003-066X
• DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.62.5.375

Foreseeable social and technological changes will force us to reevaluate our thinking about ethically appropriate ways to fulfill our mission of using psychology to advance human health and welfare in the twenty-first century. Three categories of challenge related to societal and technological changes have become particularly evident. First, increasing patterns of delivering services over substantial distances by electronic means (i.e., telepsychology) demand consideration. Second, we must parse our ethical obligations to individuals, to groups, and to society at large as our influence working behind the scenes as "invisible" psychologists grows. Finally, as we witness the accelerating demise of psychiatry, we must take care not to follow a similar path. As we face new ethical challenges, we must continually ask ourselves where our responsibilities lie as individuals and as a profession. We must learn not to repeat the mistakes of the past and focus instead on optimizing the future for a science and practice of psychology focused on human health and welfare.