Making Difficult Ethical Decisions

Karen, a Latina lesbian, decided to come out to her family and classmates when she started her second year in her psychology doctoral program. Now that she could be her “true self” around her family and friends, she expected things to be easier. However, several people—including her parents and four siblings—are not as accepting of her as she had hoped. As a result, she struggles to keep up with schoolwork, is tearful during class, and becomes upset while in conferences with professors. Her faculty members are talking about requiring her to start psychological treatment for these issues and are even considering removing her from the program.

For this discussion, respond to the following:

• What does “The Code” say about the suggestions of the faculty?
• What are the cultural implications of doing what they are suggesting?
• How does Fisher’s ethical decision-making model, discussed in Chapter 3 of Decoding the Ethics Code: A Practical Guide, apply to this situation?
• How should Karen’s situation be handled?

Your initial discussion post should be at least 200 words.

Response Guidelines

Examine the work of at least two other learners. Please try to choose posts that have not yet had responses. Comment on the following:

• Their perspectives on what the ethical code says about the scenario.
• Their analyses of the cultural implications of the actions the faculty members are considering.
• Their applications of all eight steps of the ethical decision-making model discussed in Chapter 3 of Decoding the Ethics Code: A Practical Guide.
• Their resulting decisions on how to handle Karen’s situation.

Your response may include comparing and contrasting several elements of the components or the outcome of your initial post.

Learning Components

This activity will help you achieve the following learning components:

• Describe ethical dilemmas in psychology practice.
• Identify types of cultural conflict.
• Identify types of cultural differences.
• Investigate professional ethical standards.
• Apply ethical theory to practice.
• Employ ethical decision-making models to practice.

Resources