Psychologist Ethics Codes

In general, ethics codes can be defined as a set of accepted system that conducts the behaviors of professional in completing their responsibilities. Every profession has its own ethics codes, such as: doctor, lawyer, psychologist and other helping professions.

As a graduate student of psychology in Indonesia, I have to admit the weaknesses and the number of missing parts that need to be added soon in Indonesian Psychologist Ethics Codes. The chapters and the following explanations are not enough to control specific case or behavior in practical lives. For example: there is no specific chapter that control the research on children and the details needed during research. My guess, we have to stick on to our conscience! (How I hate this rhetoric statement)…

I’m having my class of ethics this semester and I’m going to have my examination soon. So, I tried to read numbers of books about ethics in psychology. In one manual book that I found, the writers explained the trap of values in doing professional work as a psychologist. I agree with their statement which said that personal values, moral standards and religious belief are not ethics codes. They are important to shape individual’s life, but they are not the base for any ethical decision making.

Well, that’s true. Personal values may differ for each person because each person has their own standards on what is more important and what is less important. So as moral standards. The standards on how people interact with others in social life are also different. And don’t forget the existence of religious belief… Religious belief is differ than the rules or system that we set in this ‘living world’. The believers state that any religious message comes from God. It won’t be match with any rules or system in our ethics codes.

So, it is important to set the differences between the real ethics codes with what-so-called ethics codes…

Well, I will need to update this writing soon …