The Tat Newsletter

In this article, we argue that the student's first lessons in ethical decision making in personality assessment are in those assessment courses that have a practice component. In these courses, the student has an opportunity to experience in vivo how ethical problems are identified, addressed, and resolved. The faculty member's demonstration of a process wherein the ethical principles activated are highlighted and explored, will enable students to internalize a model for addressing future dilemmas. Four particular ethical situations are considered: (a) the students' procurement of personal experience with personality testing, (b) the identification of assessment participants, (c) the development of informed consent procedures for assessment participants, and (d) classroom presentations. This discussion does not provide concrete solutions to ethical problems but offers a consideration of the relevant ethical principles that any adequate solution must encompass.     

Ethical dilemmas in personality assessment courses: using the classroom for in vivo training.

In this article, we argue that the student's first lessons in ethical decision making in personality assessment are in those assessment courses that have a practice component. In these courses, the student has an opportunity to experience in vivo how ethical problems are identified, addressed, and resolved. The faculty member's demonstration of a process wherein the ethical principles activated are highlighted and explored, will enable students to internalize a model for addressing future dilemmas. Four particular ethical situations are considered: (a) the students' procurement of personal experience with personality testing, (b) the identification of assessment participants, (c) the development of informed consent procedures for assessment participants, and (d) classroom presentations. This discussion does not provide concrete solutions to ethical problems but offers a consideration of the relevant ethical principles that any adequate solution must encompass.     

The ethical group psychotherapist

Group psychotherapists in their everyday practice confront a series of ethical problems, some of which rise to the level of ethical dilemmas. This two-part special series will address how the group psychotherapist can address these problems and dilemmas in a way that leads to an ethical course of conduct. This article introduces the series by examining ethical principles and decision-making processes that are relevant to the wide range of issues that confront the group psychotherapist. The article also considers the person of the group psychotherapist him or herself and notes that certain personal qualities might create a foundation for ethical thinking and behavior.     

Psychoanalysis and Politics by R. E. Money-Kyrle

Abstract

Group psychotherapists in their everyday practice confront a series of ethical problems, some of which rise to the level of ethical dilemmas. This two-part special series will address how the group psychotherapist can address these problems and dilemmas in a way that leads to an ethical course of conduct. This article introduces the series by examining ethical principles and decision-making processes that are relevant to the wide range of issues that confront the group psychotherapist. The article also considers the person of the group psychotherapist him or herself and notes that certain personal qualities might create a foundation for ethical thinking and behavior.     

Complexity of ethical decision making in psychiatry

Psychiatric residents and psychiatrists have little difficulty in making judgments about a clinical course of action to take with patients. However, making ethical clinical decisions is more challenging, because psychiatric residents are usually provided little formal training in ethics. Further, many ethical dilemmas are complex, requiring knowledge of the psychiatric profession's ethics code, moral principles, law, and practice standards and of how they should be weighed in the decision-making process. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate this complexity in regard to the identification of potential ethical dilemmas, understanding the issues that these dilemmas raise, and formulating potential solutions to them. Two common but important areas of treatment in which ethical dilemmas arise (informed consent and competence of care) are used as examples for our presentation. The article demonstrates that to successfully engage in ethical analysis in psychiatry is impossible without substantial formal training in the process.     

Some ethical dilemmas in sensitivity training, encounter groups and related activities

Some ethical dilemmas in connection with sensitivity training, encounter groups and related activities are discussed. We distinguished between pre-group, in-group and post-group dilemmas. Pre-group dilemmas consisted of competence of leader, screening of participants, contract, voluntary participation, conflicting roles, organization of group work and conducting of research. In-group dilemmas were optimum level of awareness, leadership style and personality, image of man, issue of "casualties", confidentiality and freedom to make errors. Post-group dilemmas included "re-entry" difficulties, repression of changing individuals and follow-up procedures. Conclusions were as follows: ( a ) There exist indeed a series of ethical dilemmas in conducting growth groups. ( b ) The good group leader must learn to live with this seemingly chronic ethical dissonance. ( c ) The one most significant ethical guideline is to establish the optimum level of awareness in the group. ( d ) There is a pressing need for more adequate research on such ethical dilemmas.     

Ethical issues in psychological assessment in different settings.

In this article, we provide an introduction to the special series on ethical issues in assessment. We establish as its purpose the provision of some general principles and guidelines to help practitioners grapple with the ethical issues that may be characteristic of their particular settings. We provide a very brief synopsis of the articles that follow. The relationship between ethical practice and risk management is briefly discussed.     

Introduction to the Special Issue on the Role of Personality Assessment in Consulting to Organizations

This special issue aims to advance the integration of personality assessment across applied contexts. Personality assessment is an integral part of clinical and organizational case conceptualizations, intervention planning, and change efforts. Yet, as the present historical account will illustrate, the literatures in relation to personality assessment have developed rather independently. The articles in this special issue highlight the importance of organizational personality assessment as relates to how (a) academics vs. practitioners look at standards for test selection (Furnham), (b) the intended use of tests (selection vs. employee development) impacts the criteria used to establish assessment tool validity (Moyle & Hackston), (c) personality models developed in social and personality psychology can be applied in organizational contexts (Shorey & Chaffin), (d) assessments are modified to more accurately assess operational definitions of constructs (Belwalker & Tobacyk), (e) perception and knowledge about personality of others can be assessed as an ability (Mayer, Lortie, Panter & Caruso), and (f) performance-based techniques can be used in organizational personality assessment to curtail faking and socially desirable responding (Harms, Krasikova & Luthans). The present introduction highlights the important contributions of these articles, individually and as a body, in advancing the integration and application of personality assessment in organizational contexts.     

Gene Concepts and Genethics: Beyond Exceptionalism

The discursive explosion that was provoked by the new genetics could support the impression that the ethical and social problems posed by the new genetics are somehow exceptional in their very nature. According to this view we are faced with special ethical and social problems that create a challenge so fundamental that the special label of genethics is needless to justify. The historical account regarding the evolution of the gene concepts could serve us to highlight the limits of what we know about genes and what we can do with genes. The widespread notion about the exceptionality of genetic knowledge and its applicative possibilities is hardly justifiable and leads to misunderstandings regarding the conceptualization of the ethical and social problems we might face. Following a more realistic interpretation of the role of genes in human life we might avoid a whole set of fictive dilemmas and counterproductive regulatory efforts in bioethics. Bioethical discourse should move from the gene-centered scientific discourse toward the more sophisticated and complex discourses where human development represented as a matter of complex interactions between genomes and environments, between genes, educational factors, nutritional regimes, and other different developmental resources. If a gene is seen as one among the different developmental resources that are shaping a given human trait then both genethics and genetic exceptionalism could hardly be represented as a justified approach in discussing the ethical and social problems of genetics.     

On the Spot Ethical Decision-Making in CBRN (Chemical,Biological, Radiological or Nuclear Event) Response

First responders to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) events face decisions having significant human consequences. Some operational decisions are supported by standard operating procedures, yet these may not suffice for ethical decisions. Responders will be forced to weigh their options, factoring-in contextual peculiarities; they will require guidance on how they can approach novel (indeed unique) ethical problems: they need strategies for “on the spot” ethical decision making. The primary aim of this paper is to examine how first responders should approach on the spot ethical decision-making amid the stress and uncertainty of a CBRN event. Drawing on the long-term professional CBRN experience of one of the authors, this paper sets out a series of practical ethical dilemmas potentially arising in the context of a large-scale chemical incident. We propose a broadly consequentialist approach to on the spot ethical decision-making, but one which incorporates ethical values and rights as “side-constraints”.     

Introduction to the special issue on personality assessment in the DSM-5

The DSM-5 is poised to dramatically reshape the way clinicians and researchers assess personality by reconfiguring the conceptualization of DSM-IV personality disorders. This special issue brings together leading scholars in personality pathology, including members of the DSM-5 Personality and Personality Pathology Work Group, as well as personality assessors operating from a variety of theoretical perspectives, to describe various facets of these changes and their potential impacts and in some cases to propose alternative solutions. As we describe in this brief introductory article, the articles in this special issue highlight several important and controversial issues in the transition to DSM-5 personality assessment.     

Introduction to the Special Section on Mixture Modeling in Personality Assessment

Latent variable models offer a conceptual and statistical framework for evaluating the underlying structure of psychological constructs, including personality and psychopathology. Complex structures that combine or compare categorical and dimensional latent variables can be accommodated using mixture modeling approaches, which provide a powerful framework for testing nuanced theories about psychological structure. This special series includes introductory primers on cross-sectional and longitudinal mixture modeling, in addition to empirical examples applying these techniques to real-world data collected in clinical settings. This group of articles is designed to introduce personality assessment scientists and practitioners to a general latent variable framework that we hope will stimulate new research and application of mixture models to the assessment of personality and its pathology.     

Reporting and referring research participants: ethical challenges for investigators studying children and youth

Researchers studying at-risk and socially disenfranchised child and adolescent populations are facing ethical dilemmas not previously encountered in the laboratory or the clinic. One such set of ethical challenges involves whether to: (a) share with guardians research-derived information regarding participant risk, (b) provide participants with service referrals, or (c) report to local authorities problems uncovered during the course of investigation. The articles assembled for this special section address the complex issues of deciding if, when, and how to report or provide referrals for research participants who are minors (referred to hereafter as minor research participants). This paper focuses on two factors underlying these decisions: the validity of risk estimates and meta-ethical positions on scientific responsiblity. It is suggested that, before sharing information about minor research participants investigators should do the following: critically examine the diagnostic validity of developmental measures, include the scope and limitations of information sharing in informed consent procedures, and become familiar with state reporting laws. I discuss the impact of the traditionally accepted act utilitarian meta-ethical position on the investigator-participant relationship, and I recommend consideration of alternative positions as a step toward developing a research ethic of scientific responsibility and care.     

Ethical problems in research on risky behaviors and risky populations

The articles by Brooks-Gunn, Fisher, Hoagwood, Liss and Scott-Jones (all in this issue) present a panoply of real-world ethical issues in conducting scientific research on risky behaviors of children, adolescents, and their parents, particularly those from vulnerable populations. The universal, ethical principles of beneficence, justice, and respect for others are always applicable, but they do not resolve issues of child assent, parental consent, legal reporting requirements for illegal behaviors, and the special problems of studying risky behaviors in risky populations. Taken as a group, the articles raise some of the most interesting ethical problems that arise in developmental research. My discussion elaborates some issues and fails to resolve others. I hold the view that both science and ethics can be served by thoughtfully designed and implemented research on important social issues, but that the studies themselves cannot simultaneously solve the many societal problems of participants and be scientifically credible.     

Being ethical: more than obeying the law and avoiding harm.

In this article, I provide the reader with a model for considering ethical dilemmas that arise in the settings in which assessors practice. The overarching set of principles necessary to consider to make an effective ethical decision are presented as well as a series of steps through which the assessor should proceed in considering a situation. The role of ethics codes in decision making is also described.     

Quel type d'approche scientifique pour la description de la personnalité ?

The purpose of the introduction to the special issue “scientific approaches of personality: challenges and controversies” is to present three different approaches to the scientific study of personality and personality judgment: the factorial approach, psychosocial approach, personality assessment at the level of the individual. The theoretical foundations of each field are exposed in the first part of the introduction. In the second part, we present the articles that compose this special issue.     

From Theory to Practice: Facing Ethical Challenges as a Clinical Intern

Although formal ethics classes provide a basic foundation in managing ethical dilemmas, professionals often point to their experiences on internship as an important training ground for consolidation of their ethical development. Clinical interns face many personal and professional transitions that can lead to a number of ethical dilemmas. Effective collaboration between administrative staff, supervisors, and interns can create a pragmatic model for negotiating these dilemmas. In this paper, issues related to balancing intern competency with training and patient/client needs, managing dual relationships with supervisory staff, and dealing with differences in orientation are addressed from the perspective of both the site and the intern. We also discuss ways in which problems can arise and how both sides can work together systematically to negotiate those problems. To illustrate this process, we discuss cases involving effective collaboration between interns and sites. Finally, the authors assert the need for formal, empirically supported training in classic ethical issues, but also in contemporary ethical issues arising from the ever-evolving field of mental health service delivery and unique challenges accompanying these advances.     

Ethical issues in psychological assessment in school settings.

It is especially important for psychologists providing assessment and testing services in schools to be able to recognize and negotiate the ethical challenges specific to academic settings. In this article I address ethical issues in the areas of informed consent, nondiscriminatory assessment, projective personality assessment, and computerized psychological testing. One of the most frequent ethical issues that confronts psychologists in the schools is the process of parental consent and involvement. Psychologists are also obligated to select nonbiased test instruments and use them in a way that is not racially or culturally biased. There are several factors to consider when using projective testing in a school setting, and the use of computerized psychological assessment measures raises significant ethical issues. Although concrete solutions are not always available for these complex situations, a basis for ethical decision making is presented.     

Surrogate medical decision making on behalf of a never-competent, profoundly intellectually disabled patient who is acutely ill

With the improvements in medical care and resultant increase in life expectancy of the intellectually disabled, it will become more common for healthcare providers to be confronted by ethical dilemmas in the care of this patient population. Many of the dilemmas will focus on what is in the best interest of patients who have never been able to express their wishes with regard to medical and end-of-life care and who should be empowered to exercise surrogate medical decision-making authority on their behalf. A case is presented that exemplifies the ethical and legal tensions surrounding surrogate medical decision making for acutely ill, never-competent, profoundly intellectually disabled patients.