| Abstract: | We explored the choices made by practicing psychologists in the face of specific ethical dilemmas, and the reasons for those choices. In addition, we explored the relationship between particular choices and particular reasons, as well as the relationship of various professional characteristics to those responses. We presented 294 psychologists, randomly selected members of the Division of Psychotherapy, with ten vignettes, each representing a potential problem of professional ethics. They were asked to indicate their preferred resolution to each dilemma and their primary reason for choosing this alternative. Although practitioners were more alike than different, results showed that respondents with certain characteristics—for example, professed theoretical orientation, sex, and years of experience—did differ in their choice of response to certain ethical dilemmas. Adherence to codified ethical guidelines was also shown to be related to willingness to take direct actions to resolve ethical dilemmas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
