Overview
The Code of Professional Ethics of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) establishes ethical standards for psychologists' professional conduct. The code comprises four core principles with specific standards, plus procedures for ethical decision-making and stakeholder identification.
Background & Development
- First code endorsed at General Meeting on 03 November 1978
- Major revision adopted 09 November 1991 with expanded content and detail
- Second revision (16 May 1998) adopted Meta-Code structure from European Federation and Canadian decision-making procedures
- Third revision (13 November 1999) added summary and enhanced decision-making guidance
- Fourth revision (19 October 2019) reflected removal of Board of Professional Conduct
- Fifth revision (23 August 2025) updated Principle 4: Integrity with membership approval
- Code does not form part of PSI Memorandum and Articles of Association
- Non-members not bound by code but all psychologists remain subject to law
Principle 1: Respect for Rights and Dignity of the Person
- Psychologists honor fundamental rights, dignity, and worth of all people
- Respect privacy, confidentiality, self-determination, and autonomy consistent with professional obligations and law
- Have sensible regard for clients' moral and cultural values without bias based on gender, orientation, disability, religion, race, ethnicity, age, or class
- Explore only information germane to investigation purpose or required by law
- Share confidential information only with informed consent except when law requires or serious harm threatened
- Store, handle, transfer, dispose of records securely; plan for records in event of serious illness or death
- Obtain informed consent from independent persons for any psychological services provided
- Provide information reasonable persons would want before consenting; relay in understandable language
- Ensure consent covers: purpose, responsibilities, benefits/risks, alternatives, consequences, withdrawal option, time period, rescission process
- Act in emergencies without consent if necessary but obtain fully informed consent later when possible
- Seek willing participation from persons of diminished capacity; proceed without consent only for direct benefit
- Publish information about clients only with consent or with adequate identity disguise
- Make audio/video/photographic records only with prior agreement on recording and access conditions
- Clarify nature of multiple relationships and limits on confidentiality before obtaining consent
Principle 2: Competence
- Psychologists maintain high standards and recognize boundaries of competence
- Provide only services for which qualified by education, training, or experience
- Accept obligation to study and understand provisions of the Code
- Recognize how own experiences, attitudes, culture, beliefs influence interactions with others
- Offer without supervision only activities for which competence established to benefit others
- Take immediate steps to consult or refer client when not competent to address problem
- Avoid delegating professional activities to persons not competent to carry them out
- Direct interventions toward clear objectives; terminate when objectives met or unattainable
- Carry out pilot studies for new procedures with potential risks before broader implementation
- Refuse scientific/professional activity unless probable benefit proportionately greater than risk
- Maintain and develop professional competence through continuing education and peer consultation
- Keep current with relevant knowledge, research methods, techniques through reading and continuing education
- Refrain from practice when judgment or ability seriously impaired by physical/psychological condition
- Seek competent assistance when problems arise that may affect competence
Principle 3: Responsibility
- Psychologists aware of professional/scientific responsibilities to clients, community, society
- Avoid doing harm and ensure services not misused
- Contribute to psychology discipline through free pursuit and sharing of knowledge
- Monitor and evaluate effect of professional activities; communicate new knowledge when appropriate
- Protect dignity and wellbeing of research participants at all times
- Maintain records of procedures/interventions for appropriate period; ensure proper storage or transfer
- Speak out if organizational policies seriously ignore or oppose Code principles
- Uphold highest standards of scientific integrity in research
- Behave professionally to avoid damaging clients' interests or undermining public confidence
- Assess individuals, families, groups adequately to discern what will benefit and not harm
- Stop or offset consequences of actions likely to cause serious physical harm or death (may include reporting to authorities)
- Ensure tests and assessment methods used only by qualified, trained persons
- Refuse to advise/train anyone who will use knowledge to harm others or infringe human rights
- Not engage in research promoting torture, prohibited weapons, environmental destruction, or acts contravening international law
- Screen research participants to select those unlikely to be harmed if risk possible
- Debrief research participants to discern and correct any harm caused
- Not disadvantage control group participants by withholding service unreasonably; offer beneficial service afterward when possible
- Use animals in research only with reasonable expectation of increasing understanding or eventual health/welfare benefits
- Subject animals to pain/stress/deprivation only if alternatives unavailable and goal justified by prospective gains
- Minimize animal discomfort through appropriate anesthesia, infection prevention, pain minimization, humane disposal
- Make themselves aware of other disciplines' knowledge/skills; advise their use when relevant
- Maintain support and responsibility until referral contact commenced
- Contribute to coordination of client services to avoid duplication or cross-purposes
- Assume overall ethical responsibility for activities of students, trainees, assistants, supervisees, employees supervised
- Use systematic procedure for investigating ethical issues and resolving dilemmas
Principle 4: Integrity
- Psychologists promote integrity in science, teaching, and practice
- Be honest, fair, respectful; clarify roles and function appropriately
- Engage in self-care activities to avoid burnout, addictions, impaired judgment
- Seek emotional support/supervision from colleagues when stressed or vulnerable
- Accurately represent education, training, experience, and service effectiveness in all communications
- Avoid misrepresentation, exaggeration, distortion of assessment results, research findings, service effectiveness
- Clarify whether acting as private citizen, organization member, or psychology representative
- Ensure families aware psychologist's primary responsibilities generally to the individual
- Differentiate facts, opinions, theories, hypotheses, ideas when communicating knowledge
- Not suppress disconfirming evidence; acknowledge alternative hypotheses and explanations
- Conduct research consistent with honest inquiry and clear communication of aims, sponsorship, values, financial interests
- Compensate others justly for use of time, energy, intelligence
- Not accept fees/benefits beyond those contractually agreed; not accept significant gifts undermining impartiality
- Honor all promises in written/verbal agreements unless serious unexpected circumstances intervene
- Give publication credit proportionate to professional contribution including ideas, research execution, analysis, writing
- Respect right to receive appropriate explanation of investigations, assessments, research findings in understandable language
- Be clear and straightforward about information needed to establish informed consent or valid agreements
- Avoid deception in research/service if alternatives available or negative effects cannot be predicted or offset
- Provide debriefing after studies using deception; clarify real nature and seek to remove misconceptions
- Not exploit professional relationship for personal, political, or business interests
- Not exploit clients for sexual gratification during relationship or after termination
- Avoid dual relationships when possible; where unavoidable, take steps to safeguard interests
- Not form or attempt to form sexual, inappropriate emotional, or exploitative relationship using professional position
- Act to stop harmful or unethical professional activities of colleagues or other discipline members
Ethical Decision-Making Procedure
| Step | Action |
|---|
| 1 | Define issues and parties involved carefully; identify all stakeholders |
| 2 | Scan Code and identify relevant clauses; check other guidelines and legislation; consult colleagues |
| 3 | Evaluate rights, responsibilities, welfare of all affected parties |
| 4 | Generate as many alternative decisions as possible |
| 5 | Evaluate carefully the likely outcome of each decision |
| 6 | Choose best decision in professional judgment; implement and inform relevant parties |
| 7 | Take responsibility for consequences of the decision |
- Keep notes of deliberations at each stage of process
- Formal procedure reduces decisions made in heat of moment without considering all factors
- Professional bodies and law accept practitioners may make judgment errors distinct from malpractice
- Systematic decision-making required for all ethical dilemmas
Key Terms & Definitions
Stakeholder Categories for Ethical Decisions:
| Party | Definition |
|---|
| The Psychologist | Person experiencing dilemma who must make ethical decision; should include critical self-view |
| Direct Beneficiary | Individual/group directly receiving psychologist's services; also called client, consumer, patient, student, trainee, applicant |
| The Subject | Individual/group receiving direct intervention at behest of or under contract to third party |
| Extended Beneficiary | Individual/group benefiting indirectly from services delivered to others; includes relatives, friends, colleagues, future clients |
| Participant | Those providing data in research or evaluation context; may also be Direct Beneficiaries |
| Referrer | Source of referral including agencies, professionals, families, schools, employers |
| Colleague | Psychologists or related professionals with working relationship; includes immediate superiors or employees |
| Contractor | Individual/agency with legal or implied contract to carry out research/services; includes funding bodies, trusts, sponsors |
| Employer | Agent with whom psychologist has contract of service; typically pays salary and holds authority |
| Manager | Direct supervisor distinct from employer interests |
| Supervisor | Provider of clinical supervision for reviewing work and exploring personal reactions; may be one-to-one or group |
| Employee | Those employed by psychologist including psychologists, other professionals, administrative staff |
| Wider Profession | Colleagues whose interests or reputation may be affected by ethical decision |
| Other Parties | Any other relevant individuals/constituencies including non-psychologist colleagues, press, organizations, community groups, politicians, departments, psychologist's family |
| General Public | Public interest dimension when psychologists offer services on controversial issues |
Core Professional Roles:
- Psychologists serve as researchers, educationalists, diagnosticians, psychotherapists, consultants, expert witnesses
- Term "client" denotes those receiving professional services or engaging in professional relationships
- Psychologists are scientist-practitioners with practice grounded in scientific knowledge body
- Authority derives from scientific investigation methods and governing ethics