Introduction
The role of psychological research in the modern world is challenging to overestimate because it is due to them people solve many problems that prevent from finding the path to happiness and self-realization. However, it should be understood that in striving to know the human psyche, practicing doctors have not to cross the personal boundaries of interviewed people. One of the main peculiarities of any social research is the strict confidentiality of information received from participants and the inability to use it for any purpose without their knowledge. Everyone who takes part in a psychological survey wants to be sure that they will be protected from mental discomfort. Since any data collection is a kind of interference with privacy, specialists need to consider the ethical side and adhere to codes of professional ethics.
Path of Development of Psychological Ethics
Although now a lot of attention is paid to the ethical issues of conducting research, many of the most important conclusions for the development of psychology were reached by violating personal boundaries. One of the examples is the experiment of Philip Zimbardo. He created a kind of imitation of the prison environment, appointing some people as prisoners and others as warders. This experiment, which was supposed to last two weeks, had to be interrupted much earlier because the participants got too used to the role, and the game went too far (Gross, 2020).
Moreover, “one of the biggest ethical problems for many years was deception”: participants’ data could be used without their knowledge (Mertens, 2018, p. 423). Over time, several organizations have developed principles that guide psychologists in conducting experiments and collecting data. Therefore, psychological ethics has come a long way from being ignored to being recognized.
Major Ethical Principles and Modern Difficulties
As opposed to past experiments, most specialists now adhere strictly to codes of ethics when collecting information from people for future research, which is a hugely positive step in psychological research. Thus, major principles of the American Psychology Association include integrity, responsibility, justice, and respect for participants’ rights (Clark-Carter, 2019). Furthermore, one of the central concepts of psychological ethics is informed voluntary consent, which means that a participant will be aware of all survey details (Gross, 2020). Specialists have to be polite and honest and guarantee that the involvement in research will not harm the person.
In modern times, psychologists still face several difficulties in collecting data. On the one hand, the specialists must collect as little information as possible to avoid violating confidentiality and human rights. On the other hand, to validate their research and make it reliable, they have to obtain as much data as they can get. The ethical issues should also be considered during the manipulation of independent and dependent variables (Clark-Carter, 2019). For instance, Zimbardo behaved unethically by forming an independent variable and placing participants in a prison environment even with their consent. Thus, although all ethical principles must be taken into account, sometimes they cause specific challenges.
Conclusion
The ethical side of any psychological research is very significant. Although sometimes, it is challenging to adhere to moral codes and collect as much information as possible, each specialist should conform to such principles as honesty, responsibility, confidentiality, and informed consent. Thus, despite all difficulties, the ethical rules of collecting data in psychological research should be implemented, which creates trusting relationships with the participants and allows better knowing the peculiarities of the human psyche.
Reference List
Clark-Carter, D. (2019) Quantitative psychological research: the complete student’s companion. 4th edn. New York: Routledge.
Gross, R. (2020) Psychology: the science of mind and behaviour. 8th edn. London: Hodder Education.
Mertens, D. (2018) Research and evaluation in education and psychology: integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. 5th edn. New York: Sage Publications.