Psychology students who show no respect to the confidentiality of personal information shared in the classroom and responsibility towards homework and assignments are likely to have problems in professional practice upon graduation. If this poor attitude persists, it will not only affect their professional career, but also harm the future clients.

A study, published in American Psychologist, the journal of the American Psychological Association, says that while psychologists are ethically obligated to ensure their own competence, appropriate training, professional ethics standards and credentialing criteria need to be infused with a robust communitarian ethos and a culturally pervasive ethic of care.

The authors of the article include the American Psychology Association President, Nadine J. Kaslow. They began to address the issue and find the root problem:

• Training system, in which professors tempted to pass the student hoping that they will improve in the next level
• No work experience prior to psychology graduate school
• Self-assessment bias in evaluating their competence

The solution to the problems includes:

• A constellation model to support psychologist’s growth designed by Kaslow and her group
• New guidelines on the educational program to remediate problem behavior
• Change in training level, starting in the graduate classroom

Psychologist Kathleen Smith has commented on this study with her feature piece “Will that student be able to practice?” Click here for details of the paper published in American Psychologist.

Image: www.audio-luci-store.it – flickr