Moving beyond Statutory Ethical Codes: Practitioner Ethics as a Contextual, Character-Based Enterprise

Abstract

Practitioner ethics is a complex issue that invokes questions regarding the basis of morality and the nature of ethical decision making. It is argued that the current professional code of conduct and training models based on it are too simplistic and do not capture the complexity of real-life ethical dilemmas. Most current ethical codes are too linear and do not incorporate decision hierarchies, nor do they aim at educating would-be practitioners. A revision of the current South African code of conduct for psychologists is proposed that transcends the present focus on statutory and authoritarian principles. Recommendations are also made for improving the ethical training of practitioners, starting with improved teaching of ethics and the cultivation of an ethical character.