Keynote Address

Ethical and Other Professional Issues: What to Do When Working in the Absence of Local Standards

Thomas Oakland
University of Florida

Abstract

Psychologists and other professionals recognize the need to know and adhere to the ethics code in the country or countries in which they work. However, most countries do not have ethics codes that govern the work of psychologists. Thus, psychologists working in countries that do not have an ethics code face a dilemma: they need to behave ethically yet do not know the guidelines or standards that govern these behaviors. Some cross-national conditions about which psychologists should be aware when working cross-nationally, especially in countries that may lack an ethics code, are discussed. These include knowledge of the host country’s prevailing moral values, its laws and administrative policies, and ethics codes as well as policies approved by international agencies and associations. Eight guidelines applicable to test use are provided for psychologists working in host countries that lack ethics codes.