Ethical Principles In The Age Of The Internet (What I Would Like To Expect From Psychologists And Psychotherapists)

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

One day, the United States decided to invent a network that could survive a nuclear war. To do this, they hired smart developers who developed digital data transmission, which gradually moved into the use of people around the world. It will not be loud to say that the advent of the Internet has changed the whole world, which will never be the same as it was before. With the invention of the Internet, an incredible number of difficulties began to arise, including those associated with the preservation of personal information. If earlier in Soviet society they said that there is no person without a piece of paper, now it sometimes happens that when records about a person disappear from computer databases, a person cannot prove that he is he. For example, in the well-known film "The Network", the creators made it clear how easy it is to substitute data and, thereby, by changing the data on the network, change the way the world views a person. People quickly realized that on the Internet you can be anyone, or rather not “be”, but “seem”. Changing the environment requires changing the work of therapists as well.

With such a global change in the world, it is important to remain vigilant and take into account all the nuances that the therapist may face when working with a client in this new world and maintain moral and ethical principles in order to help the client, and not harm him instead of helping. Unfortunately, the concept of ethical principles is rather vague, although there are many created codes and written articles on this topic. This article will examine the basic ethical principles and the dilemmas associated with them in the context of the use of the Internet.

What is ethics?

Ethics (Greek ἠθικόν, from ancient Greek ἦθος - ethos, "disposition, custom") is a philosophical discipline, the subjects of which are morality and ethics.

Initially, the meaning of the word ethos was a common dwelling and rules generated by a common community, norms that unite society, overcoming individualism and aggressiveness. As society develops, the study of conscience, good and evil, sympathy, friendship, the meaning of life, self-sacrifice and so on is added to this meaning. The concepts worked out by ethics - mercy, justice, friendship, solidarity and others, guide the moral development of social institutions and relations.

In science, ethics is understood as a field of knowledge, and morality or ethics is what it studies. In living language, this distinction is still absent. The term "ethics" is sometimes also used to refer to the system of moral and ethical norms of a particular social group.

The following problems of ethics are highlighted, which are very existential:

The problem of the criteria of good and evil, virtue and vices The problem of the meaning of life and the purpose of a person The problem of free will The problem of ought, its combination with the natural desire for happiness

We can say that Ethics is largely a consequence of education and conclusions drawn from life experience. And the ethics of the work of a psychologist is based on universal human moral and ethical values.

The principle of respect and impartiality

A psychologist always proceeds from respect for personal dignity, human rights and freedoms,

The principle of respect includes respect for the dignity, rights and freedoms of the individual.

The therapist treats people with equal respect regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, belonging to a particular culture, ethnicity and race, religion, language, socio-economic status, physical capabilities and other reasons.

Of course, the psychologist is not superhuman, so not all therapists can work and help everyone. The ethical problem is voluntarily withdrawing from feelings of inability to help or bias regarding race, sexual orientation, or other client-related issues. It should be noted that the psychologist's self-elimination as a result of a conflict of values and interests should be done in a delicate and non-detrimental manner that does not degrade the client's dignity.

In addition, with the advent of the Internet, when everyone became so open and free to share their life views and positions, it is important for the therapist to remember that, from the point of view of ethics, he has no right to express any points of view that discriminate against other people, as well as agitating to any actions against other people in public space. Then, from a psychologist, a specialist turns into a public agitator or anyone else, but cannot maintain his psychotherapeutic function as a catalyst for therapeutic processes.

So, we can give an example when in some developed countries, judges handling cases of sexual crimes can be disqualified if material (video, photo, post, like, etc.) is found on their social networks that somehow encourages sexual actions. … From this it is immediately concluded that they are not able to be impartial in relation to the offender and the victim, and therefore cannot pass a sentence corresponding to the crime. But in relation to a psychologist, this applies not only to one aspect of life, since the profession assumes that a psychologist deals with completely different people. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account that no person can be discriminated against on any point. Since the therapist's job is to catalyze the process of individual choice, as well as to help and support a person in difficult life situations, any inclinations of the client to a particular decision, condemnation of the client because of his race, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, etc. are deeply unethical. The psychologist is obliged to avoid activities that can lead to discrimination against the client or any group of people on any grounds. The existential psychologist is obliged to respect any human choice regarding the client's life, therefore, campaigning for or against any point of view involves an ethical dilemma. Therefore, when the values of the psychologist himself come into conflict with the values of the client and at the same time this conflict cannot be resolved, the psychologist has the right to refuse the client in consultation, while not belittling the dignity of the client. However, the psychologist does not have the right to publicly condemn the values of other people, including in the Internet space, and to agitate groups of people against or for any values related to religion, nationality, sexual orientation, race and other characteristics of groups of people. You should also remember that. if the client needs emergency psychological assistance, the psychologist is obliged to provide it. If the client is denied urgent psychological assistance due to the psychologist's failure to accept the client's race, nationality, sexual orientation, religion and other characteristics, in some countries the psychologist is punished by terminating his license (depriving him of the opportunity to consult) for a period appointed by the court. In the absence of such legislation, this problem belongs to the category of moral and ethical, remains on the conscience of the psychologist and the community to which the psychologist belongs.

Confidentiality

The psychologist must ensure that the dignity and well-being of the client is protected and that information is kept confidential.

The psychologist should not seek information about the client that goes beyond the professional tasks of the psychologist. In other words, the psychologist meets with the client only in a certain place (or online space) allocated for consultations and a certain number of hours per week, which they agreed with the client when drawing up the contract. The psychologist cannot search for additional information about the client on the Internet and establish contact with the client on social networks. At the same time, it is worth considering that with the development of technology, there have appeared ways to provide consultations using various Internet resources. Here it is worth considering the possibilities and choice of the client and the psychologist, which resource to use and how to protect the information that the client provides during the sessions from disclosure to third parties. It is always worth remembering that any information that has entered the Internet space can never be 100% protected from further distribution and transfer to third parties.

Information obtained by a psychologist in the process of working with a client on the basis of a trusting relationship is not subject to intentional or accidental disclosure outside the agreed conditions. It means that the client trusts the psychologist, and here the ethical problem is how the psychologist disposes of the information that the client entrusts to him. The psychologist is obliged to keep information confidential. Confidentiality can only be violated in a number of individual cases, such as presenting a danger to the client himself or other people. In the event that a psychologist receives information about actions related to the commission of a crime (it is already complete or planned), the psychologist is obliged to report this to the law enforcement agencies.

I would especially like to highlight the correct management of this information with the client themselves. Information, for example, about various life events, views, habits, relationships, sleep, food and other completely different information provided by the client to the psychologist is certainly very important, it can help the psychologist in therapeutic work with the client. The ethical problem lies in the way the psychologist uses the information provided by the client. This means that, sometimes, despite the fact that the information has not been disclosed to third parties, the information is used for other purposes. For example, a psychologist may use dishonest methods such as manipulation. An example can be given based on the experience of working with victims of sexual violence. If a woman was raped by her acquaintances, then in the process, including legal proceedings, when the rapist, in the presence of third parties, makes it clear to the victim that he knows a lot about her. For example, she starts a conversation about her habits, books, daily routine. At the same time, he cannot be accused of offending her or, in principle, doing something wrong. But at the same time, the victim experiences repeated traumatization, because there is strong psychological pressure on her. So, some unethical psychologists can use the information received from the client in such a context, being alone with the client, meeting with him in another place, or in the online space. In the online space, the situation is aggravated by the fact that the number of witnesses and the level of client vulnerability are increasing. Even if a detail was mentioned in the dialogue that only surfaced during the interaction between the client and the psychologist, the client feels like a victim of gang rape. When the client trusts, he makes himself vulnerable to the psychologist, so when information is used rudely and not for its intended purpose, this vulnerability is rudely and ineptly exploited. The consequences of such treatment can be very diverse.

Uncontrolled storage of data obtained during the implementation of therapy can harm the client, the psychologist and society in general. The procedure for handling data obtained in studies and the procedure for their storage should be strictly regulated.

In addition, it should be noted that the client, in turn, is also responsible for maintaining confidentiality. The client is informed that he is not recommended to describe in detail what is happening in therapy sessions to other people in conversations, or in the online space. The principle of confidentiality also applies to the information received by the client.

The psychologist has no right to enter into a double relationship with the client

If the psychologist is in any connection with the client (works in the same organization, studies together, are relatives, are in any way dependent on each other), therapy cannot be successful and cannot be ethical enough due to a conflict of interest. The psychologist should refer the client to another therapist or refuse therapy with this client.

Also, it should be noted that the possibility of a double relationship with the client may arise after the start of therapy. This situation occurs when a client or psychologist seeks to transcend the boundaries of a professional relationship. For example, the client and the psychologist are not limited in communication with the time allotted for the session, but continue to communicate on the client's problem and not only at other times, environments or in the Internet space, as well as establish other relationships, not limited to therapeutic ones, as well as, for example, in a situation where the psychologist exploits the client's status and accepts other things as payment, and not money.

It happens that communication between a psychologist and a client continues on the Internet on forums, chats or in social media. networks. In a situation where the client becomes a “friend” of the therapist in the social. networks, and for the client and the therapist, other additional information becomes available beyond the scope of the therapy sessions. Such information can be photos, likes, re-posts and other actions on social networks. The therapist and client may have distorted ideas about each other, and unwanted personal information may also be shared.

This can greatly affect the course of therapy, the perception of the client by the therapist and the perception of the therapist by the client. In such circumstances, the problem of double relations and the problem of maintaining the confidentiality of personal information appears. In order to avoid such problems, you should not enter into an online relationship with a client on social networks, as well as follow the self-expression of yourself as a person and therapist on social media profiles. In other words, if you call yourself an existential therapist, then you should live as an existential therapist a life with the values and principles of an existential therapist, including the online space, which is an integral part of our modern life.

Customer awareness

The client must be informed about the purpose of the work, about the applied methods and ways of using the information received. Working with a client is allowed only after the client has given informed consent to participate in it. If the client is not able to make a decision on his own participation in the work, such a decision must be made by his legal representatives.

A written or oral contract must be concluded with the client, in which the conditions of therapy, the responsibilities of the therapist and the client must be clearly indicated. Including, the amount of payment for therapy, place, number of hours and sessions are agreed.

The psychologist should inform the client of all major steps or treatment actions. In the case of inpatient treatment, the psychologist should inform the client about the possible risks and about alternative methods of treatment, including non-psychological ones.

A psychologist can make video or audio recordings of a consultation or treatment only after obtaining consent from the client. This provision also applies to telephone conversations and the chosen means of communication (including online means such as Skype, whatsApp, telegrams, chats in social networks). The psychologist can only allow the acquaintance of third parties with video, audio recordings and other recordings of negotiations and consultations after obtaining consent from the client.

This also applies to taking the case for supervision. The client should be informed that his case will be discussed with other specialists and give his consent. Also, when submitting a case for supervision, the therapist must do everything possible so that the client's identity is not identified, keeping all the conditions of confidentiality.

The client must be informed in an understandable form for him about the goals, characteristics of therapy and the possible risk, discomfort or undesirable consequences, so that he can independently decide on cooperation with a psychologist. The therapist should take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of the client and to minimize the possibility of unforeseen risks.

The principle of responsibility

The psychologist must be mindful of his professional and scientific obligations to his clients, to the professional community and society as a whole. The therapist should strive to avoid harm, be held accountable for their actions, and ensure, as far as possible, that their services are not abused. The psychologist is responsible for enabling the client to receive help and for initiating and stopping therapy as indicated by the client. In other words, do not start therapy if there is no reason for that and end therapy on time, if there are reasons for it. Such grounds may be: the psychological state of the client, the client's request, living conditions, etc. If the psychologist concludes that his actions will not lead to an improvement in the client's condition or pose a risk to the client, he should stop the intervention. The psychologist should adhere only to the decision on the place of therapy chosen together with the client. For example, do not continue the therapy session at the end of the session and do not continue the face-to-face session on the Internet in the form of dialogues on social networks.

In conclusion, I would like to note that if a psychologist is tormented by the presence of moral and ethical problems, this is already a very good sign. It is important for the specialist to maintain a high level of reflection and criticism in relation to oneself, to remember the boundaries of their responsibility in therapy, and also to have the opportunity for personal therapy and for supervision.

References:

2. Guseinov AA Ethics // New Philosophical Encyclopedia / Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Nat. socio-scientific. fund; Prev. scientific-ed. Council V. S. Stepin, deputy chairpersons: A. A. Guseinov, G. Yu. Semigin, uch. sec. A. P. Ogurtsov. - 2nd ed., Rev. and add. - M.: Mysl, 2010.-- ISBN 978-5-244-01115-9.

3. Razin A. V. Ethics: Textbook for universities, p.16

4. Code of Ethics of the Russian Psychological Society