The Ethics of Professional Practice in Iran: Beliefs and Behaviors of Iranian Psychologiste

Abstract

To address the absence of empirical data on the work-related behaviors of practicing psychologists in Iran and their beliefs in the ethicality of these behaviors, a sample of 363 licensed and unlicensed Iranian psychologists were asked about their behaviors and ethical beliefs. The current study used an adaptation of a widely-adopted questionnaire originally developed by Pope and colleagues (1987) to determine (1) respondents’ beliefs about the ethicality of 92 specific behaviors, (2) how often the respondents engaged in these 92 specific behaviors, and (3) which sources of information they valued in guiding their professional behavior. The results provided the first, data-driven picture of the behaviors and beliefs of Iranian psychologists in their professional practice. A majority of the respondents received no formal training in professional ethics. In terms of which reference sources guide their ethical judgment, Iranian psychologists rated their graduate program, their internship, and the Psychology and Counseling Organization of the I. R. Iran as the most effective, while also indicating that Islamic sources of information were ‘very effective.’ Iranian law and court decisions were rated least helpful. The researchers acknowledged the limitations of this study as an initial investigation while also encouraging further development of training about and dissemination of professional ethics for psychologists