Ethics in psychology: Recalling the past, acknowledging the present, and looking to the future.

Abstract

Ethics is at the core of every discipline. (Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles for Psychologists, 2008)In previous publications, I have traced the journey of various disciplines and professions since ancient times and across many cultures (Sinclair, 1993, 2012; Sinclair, Simon, & Pettifor, 1996). The emphasis in these publications was on demonstrating the influence of societal evolution and its various structures, values, and expectations on the journey: in particular, on the various ways in which ethical principles and values were articulated and promoted along the way. However, the emphasis also has been on demonstrating the deep roots of the ethical principles and values we espouse as psychologists in today's world and how they reflect our common humanity (Sinclair, 2012, p. 17).For this current article, I have chosen to provide an overview and some personal reflections on a history that is closer to home: namely, the journey travelled by modern from the mid-19th century to the present. Similar to other travelogues, there are many events, challenges, and changes in thinking that are not included due to limitations of time and space. It is a journey whose first 9 or 10 decades I inherited when first entering psychology, have lived for the past five decades, and am still living. As such, I must declare a probable bias and lack of objectivity in what I have chosen to cover and in what depth. The article is offered not as a final word but only as part of the record.Although modern has faced and will continue to face many ethical challenges, I believe it has come a in its journey since the mid-19th century. One indication of this long way is the sheer attention paid to in the literature. Table 1 contains the results of an April 2016 search of PsycNET for literature that contained the terms ethics or ethics. The increase in attention to in the literature over time is striking, especially the exponential increases occurring first just after the Second World War, then in the 1960s, followed even more strikingly in the most recent two and a half decades.In the travelogue that follows, the content is divided into the same time periods as those used in Table 1. For each time period, reflections will be offered on some of the major events, challenges, and changes in thinking that have impacted our journey, including its pace and direction. Insofar as it is possible, this will include attention to the areas of research, practice, education, and training, the development of codes and guidelines, and social responsibility and social justice.1801-1900During the majority of the 1800s, was not viewed or practiced as a distinct discipline. It began to differentiate itself from such disciplines as medicine and physiology only in the last quarter of the 19th century. For instance, two of the individuals considered founders of modern psychology, Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) and William James (1842-1910), were trained as physicians, although they both also worked in the areas of physiology and philosophy. It was not until the 1870s and 1880s that courses devoted to psychology were taught, experimental labs were established, and the label psychologist was used. The American Psychological Association (APA) was founded in 1892. For the most part, early psychologists were interested in the study of consciousness (perception, attention, thinking, emotions), but using the research methods of the natural sciences (e.g., physiology, medicine).The date of the first article on professional or experimental in PsycNET is 1856. From that year to the beginning of the 20th century, a total of 18 articles appeared. Of the 18, only 6 appeared in books or journals with psychology in the title. Others appeared in such publications as American Journal of Sociology, Education, Medicine and the Mind, and System of Moral Science. …