Psychologists' Professional Codes of Ethics in Iran, America, Canada, England, and Australia
Subject Areas : PsychologyBehnaz Dowran 1 , Ali Fathi-Ashtiani 2
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Keywords: professional ethics codes of ethics ethical principles ethical standards revise,
Abstract :
the present study compares psychologists' professional Codes of Ethics in Iran, America, Canada, England, and Australia. The study population consisted of all countries with professional Codes of Ethics, of which, America, Canada, Britain, Australia, and Iran were purposively selected due to their progressiveness in the development of professional Codes of Ethics, and their ethical principles and standards were compared. The results obtained showed that with the exception of Iran and America, all codes studied had defined the basic concepts and terminologies after introduction. In addition, they all contained two main sections, namely, general principles and standards. The general principles were almost the same and common in these codes, and included respect for people's dignity, accountability, integrity, no discrimination or injustice, philanthropy, and avoidance of harm. The ethical standards in Iran’s and America's codes appear independently from the general principles. Meanwhile, the standards are presented under relevant ethical principles in the Australian, Canadian, and British codes. Iran's standards of ethical codes almost exactly match those of America's, and the only difference is in the order of presenting standards of "Accountability" and "Storing registered information and fees" and the extent of explanations and details. According to the present study, the following changes can contribute to a greater understanding and practicability of Iran's Code of Ethics: Providing definitions and explanations for specialized terminologies and general principles, adding more details to standards and considering local culture and religion.
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