Does Leo’s Behavior Violate Ethical Principles or Standards?
Leo’s attitudes and behavior can be examined through the lens of the General Principles of the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (APA, 2002), the non-enforceable rules meant to guide psychologists’ conduct. Leo’s attitudes and behavior can also be analyzed for their adherence or non-adherence to specific Ethical Standards. All of the general principles hold some relevance for this case, but for the sake of brevity, the current discussion will focus on Principle A, Beneficence and Nonmaleficence, and Principle E, Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity. As Tjelveit (2006) points out, when client and therapist values conflict, a therapist may need to balance Principle A with Principle E. In striving to help a client attain a “good life,” a well-meaning clinician may find himself imposing his own ideas of “good” on the client. “Paternalism…occurs when a professional’s ideas about what is good for a client (beneficence) trump the client’s choice about the treatment pr
