Ethics systems in the New Zealand psychological society

Abstract

It is important to remember that the Psychological Society does not exist in isolation. It is part of a wider society and must be accountable to and responsive to the needs of the public, its clients and changes occurring in the community. Ethics largely arise out of the public’s expectations of the profession and implied in that is compliance with the law. Psychologists are obviously answerable to the Courts when their actions transgress the law; no one can legally claim that inclusions or omissions from a code of ethics permit them to act outside of the law. Fortunately, there are seldom conflicts between ethical and legal obligations as certain statutory provisions now reflect some of the more important of our ethical standards. Any consideration of ethics in the Society must take account of the wider societal context within which psychologists operate.