Code of Ethics and Milgram and Stanford PDF

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Running head: ESTABLISHING THE CODE OF ETHICS

Establishing the Code of Ethics Taylor Franklin Grand Canyon University: BHS 350 10/17/20

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ESTABLISHING THE CODE OF ETHICS Establishing the Code of Ethics Paraprofessionals today must adhere to the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics. This is a guideline on ethical behaviors withing research and treatment of the public. Prior to 1953, the ACA Code of Ethics was nonexistent, and therapy often consisted of the induction of traumatic, psychological, and physical pain. Additionally, the ACA Code of Ethics was not mandated in therapy and research until the early 1990’s. Unfortunately, this form of research was viewed as acceptable because the results were prioritized over the human experiments. Two examples of traumatic research include the Stanford Prison Experiment and the Milgram Study. These two experiments were considered harmless, simply researching the human reaction to specific situations. What these experiments neglected to prioritize, was the psychological and physical impacts that would follow experimentation to the extent on human life. Stanford Prison Experiment The Stanford Prison Experiment conducted by Professor Philip Zimbardo in 1971, was initially going to be an experiment on prison life (Haslam, 2019). With twenty-four young men, randomly assigned as a prisoner or guard, their behaviors matched their new title. In less than a week, those identified as guards had become increasingly hostile and abusive to those identified as prisoners. According to Haslam, “after just a few days, guards began to repress the prisoners and their cruelty escalated, to the point where, after 6 days, the study was prematurely terminated” (Haslam, 2019). After six short days, the attitudes and behavior of the guards had changed so immensely that the study was ended for the safety of the participants. This short study was just long enough to leave a lasting impact on society and their ability to adapt to a new identity or role. Sadly, these well-adjusted young men could come to

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harm innocent civilians simply because of having been randomly assigned the role of guard. This behavior was duplicated and spread throughout the prison system. The guards became unaware of their unethical behavior because they had become a group of like-minded individuals who enjoyed having power over others. Milgram Study The Milgram Study began by questioning the nature of conformity when influenced by authority. This study involved taking two participants under the guise of memory testing to test how far people are willing to go to complete their task. During this test, the electrical shocks were placebo, and never actually shocked the other participant. Ideally, yes, this research study could be beneficial by researching the type of authority involved, and the willingness of participants. What Milgram neglected to account for was the ability for human behavior to exceed his expectations in harm to another person. Unfortunately, additional forms of this research developed that involved inducing pain in efforts to see if a genuine human reaction to pain would influence the decision to progress in electrical shock. This form of research was not only physically painful for the individuals participating, but it violated many ethical codes under one study. ACA Code of Ethics Violated Differences between informed consent in research and informed consent in the therapy process include a list of logistical differences. For normal informed consent, the consent process ensures that individuals are voluntarily participating in treatment with full knowledge of related risks and benefits associated (ACA Code of Ethics, 2014). This is done prior to treatment in efforts to gain the expectations of the individual who is seeking treatment. Neither the Stanford Prison experiment or Milgrams’ experiment conducted any form of informed consent prior to

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their participation in these research studies. Milgram’s study began with a lie and additional misinformation to continue influencing behavior. This is not a good practice of informed consent. When it comes to research, informed consent is a little lengthier. While participating in research, informed consent is not optional. It is a requirement that they must inform individuals about the experimental nature of the treatment, services that will or will not be available to the control groups, how participants will be assigned to treatments and control groups, available treatment alternatives and compensation or monetary costs of participation (Informed Consent, 2004). Unfortunately, these are the exact violations of the Stanford Prison Experiment. The participants were legitimate prisoners during those 6 days, unable to escape the experiment. According to a resource, “Experts also suggest covering the likelihood, magnitude and duration of harm or benefit of participation, emphasizing that their involvement is voluntary and discussing treatment alternatives, if relevant to the research” (Smith, 2003). Neither experiment was ethically practiced. This type of research and experimentation was extremely popular in the past, but it has not been irradicated across the world. Sadly, these human research experiments still exist to this extent in other countries. The violation of human rights generally begins with false information regarding their participation within the research. Informed consent has become one of the most important factors in therapy to protect the individuals seeking treatment, just as those providing it.

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References ACA Code of Ethics. 2014. As approved by the ACA Governing Council. counseling.org Gravette, Forzano (20Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences. http://gcumedia.com/digital-resources/cengage/2015/research-methods-for-the-behavioralsciences_ebook_5e.php Haslam, S. A., Reicher, S. D., & Van Bavel, J. J. (2019). Rethinking the Nature of Cruelty: The Role of Identity Leadership in the Stanford Prison Experiment. American Psychologist, 7, 809. Informed Consent. (2004). In W. E. Craighead, & C. B. Nemeroff (Eds.), The concise Corsini encyclopedia of psychology and behavioral science (3rd ed.). Wiley. Retrieved from: https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login? url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/wileypsych/informed_consent/0? institutionId=5865 Smith, 2003 Five Principles or Research Ethics Retrieved Oct 16, 2020 by https://www.apa.org/monitor/jan03/principles...