Ethics generally refers to a branch of philosophy that
deals with how individuals assess right from wrong and
use these assessments to make moral decisions related
to their actions moving forward. These various ethical ecisions and behaviors are often guided by the use of
ethical codes. Ethical codes are considered to be an
essential component of a profession, as they create a
contract with the public that is intended to promote the
development of the profession while also protecting
consumer wellbeing and avoiding governmental regulation
and oversight. Within the field of sport psychology,
ethical issues impact the professional behaviors of individuals
within their roles as practitioners, researchers,
and teachers. The sport setting presents professionals
with some unique challenges that render the traditional
ethics codes from the parent discipline of psychology
less applicable, thus necessitating the development and
maintenance of ethical codes of conduct specific to
sport psychology.
Ethical codes of conduct are generally grounded in
the core values of the organization the code represents.
Sport psychology was formed from branches of both
psychology and kinesiology/sport sciences, so ethical
standards have often varied between related organizations
based upon their origins. Therefore, different
organizations may identify differing codes of conduct
that reflect their origins.
Ethical codes are often divided into sections outlining
the ethical principles and standards important to the
organization. Ethical principles are more general and
aspirational to the practitioner, intended to guide them
to the highest levels of practice as defined by the core
values of the organization. The principles serve as the
foundation on which the ethical standards are built.
Common ethical principles of allied health professions,
such as sport psychology, include: do no harm (nonmalfeasance),
treat clients with compassion (beneficence),
act with integrity, promote/respect autonomy, and act
with professional responsibility and accountability. On
the other hand, ethical standards and considerations
refer to the enforceable prescriptive and proscriptive
rules of conduct within the profession.
Common ethical considerations impact professionals’
behaviors in their roles as practitioners, researchers,
and teachers. Commonly cited ethical considerations
promote acting in the best interests of consumers, practicing
within one’s areas of competency, gaining
informed consent, maintaining confidentiality and privacy,
utilizing technology appropriately, avoiding multiple
relationships, and the exploitation of consumers
(Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 2016). Additional ethical
considerations for researchers include following institutional
research policies, issues related to the collection
and handling of data, and the accurate representation of
findings.
Finally, ethical decision making is an essential component
of ethical practice. Several ethical decision making
models have been developed to help professionals
in allied health professions effectively navigate
challenging ethical situations. These models are important
because they help the professional take steps to
accurately and systematically identify the key factors
that impact the situation and those affected, and evaluate
potential courses of action (e.g., Hadjistavropoulos
& Malloy, 2000).
