Ethical Conflicts in Psychology [Paperback]

Donald N. Bersoff (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1999

...fully updated and expanded with over 30 new chapters and book excerpts on timely topics such as managed care, deception in research, and multiple relationships...with opposing viewpoints, lively discussions, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Donald N. Bersoff retired from full-time academic life in August 2001. From 1990 to 2001 he directed the JD-PhD Program in Law and Psychology jointly sponsored by Villanova Law School and Drexel University's Department of Psychology. He now consults with attorneys and mental health professionals on ethical issues. He received his PhD from New York University in 1965 and his JD in 1976 from Yale Law School, where he was an editor of the Yale Law Journal. Between his PhD and his JD degrees, Bersoff served as a clinical psychologist in the U.S. Air Force (1965-1968), spending two of those years in Southeast Asia. He then taught at three universities training future psychologists while maintaining a part-time private practice. In 1976 he joined the faculties of the University of Maryland School of Law and the Johns Hopkins University Department of Psychology, where he developed the nation's second Law and Psychology Program. In 1979, Bersoff became the first general counsel of the American Psychological Association (APA). Two years later he helped found the law firm of Ennis, Friedman, Bersoff and Ewing. In his capacity as APA legal counsel (1979-1989), he prepared more than 25 briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and an equal number in lower federal and state courts, informing these courts of social science evidence relevant to the issues before them. During this time he also served as legal consultant to the APA Ethics Committee, drafted a precursor of its current Rules and Procedures, and participated in all of the 30 meetings the committee held for the decade. Bersoff is the author of over 100 chapters, articles, and papers on ethics and the interaction of law, psychology, and public policy. He is an APA fellow and an ABPP diplomate in school psychology. He has been elected to three terms as a member of the APA Council of Representatives, the APA's legislative body. During the first two of these terms (1977 and 1992), he participated in passing a revised ethics code. From 1994 to 1997 he served on the APA Board of Directors, which functions in one capacity to independently review the work of the Ethics Committee in cases resulting in recommendations to assess the most serious of sanctions. In 1999, he served as chair of APA's Policy and Planning Board. Bersoff has served as president of the American Psychology-Law Society, on the American Bar Association's Commission on the Mentally Disabled, and as chair of the Section on Mental Disability Law of the Association of American Law Schools. He is a member of the Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, and Maryland Bars as well as of the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was given the Arthur Furst Ethics Lectureship Award for "Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Ethics" in 1997, the Pennsylvania Psychological Association's Ethics Educator of the Year Award in 2000, and on his retirement, the American Psychology-Law Society's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 597 pages
• Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA); 2nd edition (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557985995
• ISBN-13: 978-1557985996
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,164,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, thought-provoking book, September 24, 2005

By 

Jennifer K. Paweleck-Bellingrodt, Psy.D. (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ethical Conflicts in Psychology (Paperback)

i bought this book for a graduate school class in ethics for psychologists and found it to be extremely thought-provoking and informative. the ethical guidelines are discussed in an easy-to-understand format, and numerous case examples are provided that really make you think about where you stand on various issues facing mental health practitioners. highly recommended reading--excellent for someone just starting in the field and a great refresher for those who have been practicing for awhile.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the source book for psychological ethics, March 26, 2006

By 

Robert W. Smith "Robert Smith, Ph.D." (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ethical Conflicts in Psychology (Paperback)

i attended a forensic psychology ethics workshop conducted by dr. bersoff, which propelled me to reading his book that had gathered dust on my shelf this past year. the book was edited by bersoff, a former board member and legal counsel of the APA. chapter authors read like a who's who in the field. the content is well-organized. the book is quite readable. they re-print and discuss the APA ethics code, guidelines, ethical issues and laws fairly extensively. i'd love to see applied research on ethical decision making. outstanding resource

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Psychological Association, October 19, 2008

By 

Tony T. Lee - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ethical Conflicts in Psychology (Paperback)

If you want current, up to date information regardin the American Psychological Association and its Ethics Codes, this is it.