Focusing the APA Ethics Code to Include Development: Applications to Abuse

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Ethics
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Current ethics codes in psychological practice often lack sufficient developmental orientation.
• The American Psychological Association (APA) ethics code is a prominent example that requires examination for developmental sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the developmental sensitivity of the APA ethics code.
• To propose recommendations for enhancing the developmental orientation of ethical principles in psychology.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the APA ethics code in comparison to developmentally-attuned principles.
• Consultation with the ethics code of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
• Development of revised ethical principles and meta-principles, prioritizing children and youth.

Main Results:

• The current APA ethics code demonstrates a lack of developmental sensitivity.
• Revised principles include life preservation, caring beneficence/nonmaleficence, relational integrity, respect for dignity and rights, and promoting justice.
• Proposed meta-principles focus on responsibility, personhood, participation, theory, and meta-theory.

Conclusions:

• The APA ethics code needs significant revision to adequately address developmental considerations.
• Implementing developmentally-targeted principles and meta-principles is crucial for ethical psychological work with diverse populations, especially children and adolescents.