Ethical misconduct by registered psychologists in South Africa during the period 2007–2013

Abstract

Psychologists are faced with numerous challenges in their daily practices. Literature indicates that the most frequent ethical transgressions in the 1970s–1990s were the invalid presentation of professional qualifications, unprofessional advertisements, and irresponsible public communications. However, at the turn of the century, it has changed to include sexual or dual relationships with patients as well as unprofessional, unethical, or negligent practice. The objective of this research project is to analyse the case content of all guilty verdicts related to professional standard breaches and ethics misconduct against Health Professions Council of South Africa–registered psychologists in the period 2007–2013 via a qualitative research paradigm focusing on a historical research approach. The findings of this study indicate that only a small fraction of psychologists registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa are annually guilty of ethics misconduct. The results indicate that the majority, around one-third, of transgressions can be regarded as improper professional role conduct. It was followed by negligent and/or incompetent treatment and/or patient care (27%), fraudulent conduct (20%), and disclosure of confidential information without permission (13%). As the age of electronic and social media advances, along with online diagnosis and therapy, clients may have better access to resources of varying authority and reliability, possibly giving them more confidence to question the practices of their service providers.