Instructor's Manual for the
Society of Indian Psychologist's Commentary on the American Psychological
Association's (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
Introduction
The SIP Commentary on the American Psychological Association's (APA) Ethical
Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (hereafter, the Commentary) represents
the culmination of a 2-year collaboration between representatives of the APA Ethics
Committee and Ethics Office and the Society of Indian Psychologists (SIP). SIP members
had had many discussions about the ways in which the APA Ethical Principles of
Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2010) (hereafter, the Ethics Code) creates challenges
for psychologists trying to practice ethically in Indigenous communities. These concerns
resulted in an invitation to APA to attend SIP's annual meeting in 2011. This meeting
marked the beginning of a collaboration that continues to the time of this writing.
One of the most significant outcomes of this collaboration grew out of the 2013
SIP meeting in Logan, Utah. Everyone in attendance at that meeting was invited to
contribute stories from their experience with the APA Ethics Code. This Commentary is
an assemblage of these stories and comments from professional members relating the
stories to specific ethical guidelines.
Graduate students in courses on professional ethics will benefit from the
opportunity to reflect on the APA Ethics Code from the diverse individual and collective
experiences of Native psychologists. The following Instructor's Manual provides teachers
of psychology graduate courses in professional ethics with suggestions for enhancing
their coverage of multicultural issues in the context of ethics with particular emphasis on
the incorporation of issues affecting indigenous professionals, clients, supervisees,
research participants, and students.
Values Statement (pp. 13-15)
Overview
The values imbedded in the Commentary are considered "shared" values common
to Indigenous people of the Americas and Hawaii. These values reflect a holistic and
inter-relational view of health. Further, healing is considered to be transpersonal: it
extends beyond the physical person and applies to the environment and society of which
they are a part. More specifically, these values include:
1. All things are considered sacred and have spirit..
2. Life and development are understood in terms of cycles.
3. Everything is connected (people, land, and past, present, and future events).
4. Life events are considered lessons.
5. Respect and honoring are essential to relationships.
6. Social, historical, and political contexts shape the lives, experiences, and
perceptions of Indigenous people and are therefore emphasized in healing.
7. Balance and harmony strengthens resiliency.
8. Collaboration is valued over competition.
9. Sustainability is essential for survival, and the impact of one's actions is
considered relevant.
10. Mystery, awe, wonder, intuition, and miracles occur in everyday life.
11. Understanding of one's identity and place comes through consideration of
past, present, and future within one's community.
12. Consideration of the "Whole" is paramount.
Classroom Activities and Discussion Questions
Organize small groups to discuss one or more of the 12 values described in the "Values
Statement." Invite students to consider:
How are your own values, assumptions, and beliefs reflected in or different from
those values?
Identify one of your own personal values or assumptions that comes from your
cultural background. How might this value affect your ethical understanding and
approach to clinical work, research, or teaching?
Consider a time when you believe that you have experienced "harm" in an
educational or professional setting as the result of the abuse of power by someone
in authority. How was your personal or professional development affected? What
have you learned from this experience and how will this experience inform your
work when you are in a position of power?
How do you understand the relationship between values and ethics?
Consider a time when you may have abused your power to the detriment of
another person, or consider how you might inadvertently do so when you are in a
position of authority or power in the future.
What are some strategies or actions that you could employ to minimize the
likelihood that you might abuse your power? What fail-safe mechanisms can you
develop to guard against such errors.
Consider the concept of "cultural relevance." How does this inform you
understanding of professional ethics?
Assignments
Reflect on and write about any of the above-listed questions.
Interview a psychologist whose cultural background differs from your own.
Identify three professional values espoused by that individual that reflect his or
her culture. Contrast them with your own values, and write about how your work
with someone from that culture might be influenced by what you have learned.
Watch a film or read a piece of fiction by a Native or Indigenous author and
featuring characters from that individual's tribe or culture. Consider how the
values discussed in the Commentary are reflected in the story and characters.
General Principles
Overview
The APA Ethical Principles include five principles that establish the profession's highest
ethical ideals. They are considered aspirational, that is, psychologists are encouraged to
strive to reach these ideals in their work. The five Principles are listed and they are
followed by the comments and stories of SIP members that were brought to mind as they
read them.
Class Activities and Discussion Topics
Principle E
How might the inclusion of "cultural relevance" and "humility" in the APA
Ethical Principles affect the practice of psychology?
What important concepts would be added to the Ethical Principles by the addition
of these two principles?
Authors of the Commentary overwhelmingly recommended that Principle E be
listed as the first Principle because, conceptually, this Principle undergirds all of
the others. Discuss your response to this recommendation.
Review the six comments and seven stories. Reflect on your own experiences as a
student, researcher, research participant, client, psychotherapist/clinician, or
teacher.
Do you recall any of your own experiences that are similar to or different from
those of the authors?
Principle A Beneficence and Nonmaleficence
What is your view of the aspirational goal to "do no harm?"
How does this apply to working with Native communities?
Principle B: Fidelity and Responsibility
One comment regarding Principle B suggests that other professionals should
include "healers or medicine people, spiritual leaders, and elders." How do you
understand the role of these individuals within Native communities?
Principle C: Integrity
How might the concepts of "accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness" be interpreted
differently in various cultures?
Principle D: Justice
What do you believe manuscript reviewers must understand in order to
competently review submissions by Native psychologists?
Should manuscripts related to Native communities be evaluated by at least one
Native reviewer?
If manuscript reviewers generally lack cultural competence, what effect will this
have on the building of knowledge in the profession of psychology?
The author of the second story in this section describes an experience as a
supervisee during a doctoral internship. What is your reaction to hearing about
this individual's experience?
With the benefit of this story, how would you have handled a similar situation if
you had been the supervisor?
If consulted in this case, how would you advise the supervisor? How does your
own cultural background influence your response?
Cultural Relevance
How do you view the doctor's response to this individual's request regarding his
surgery? How did you feel reading this story?
How did the principle of cultural relevance inform the two professionals
described in these two stories?
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