As a science, psychology must be able to point out consistent, reoccurring, phenomena in human behavior and cognition. One of the methods of attempting to quantify, measure, and predict human behavior is to make generalizations. Rather then saying that Sue seems to learn faster is she receives prizes for good grades, one should be able to state that humans’ behavior can be enforced by a positive reinforcement. When experiments are made, it is beneficial to be able to prove that a drug for example helps eliminate negative symptoms of schizophrenia in all patients, not merely in those some cases. Generalization is a way of ordering information and storing it for future use, but although it may prove beneficial in research, it may have harmful effects that may lead to some important ethical problems. The leading assumption is that the clinician, a trained professional is supposed to be able to assess the patient, and offer him or her treatment that will hopefully solve the issues that the patient is facing. The clinician serves as a guide to help patients find their way through some entanglement that they are in. Under the assumption that individuals all have identical psychological constructs, one may suggest a similar solution; this of course is not the case. “In general, we do formulate conclusions about particular groups of people. We may base our impression on certain research studies of cross-cultural comparisons. Our attention is drawn to the studies that demonstrate the most conspicuous, prominent, or salient differences. We then are prone to overgeneralize from these few extreme examples to the group as a whole, the result of which is an inaccurate generalization”(Shiraev, 46). Naturally, people are different and the generalization used to try and predict human behavior should be used only as guidelines for trying to understand the individual at hand. Although most clinicians understand that people are different and that each may have a unique case, few understand the scope of the differences that result from different cultures. The reason why cultural differences between the clinician and the patient might become an ethical issue lays in the definition of culture. Culture may be defined in many ways, one of which is “a set of attitudes, behaviors, and symbols shared by a large group of people, and usually communicated from one generation to the next. Attitudes include beliefs (political, ideological, religious, moral etc.), values, general knowledge (empirical and theoretical), opinions, superstitions and stereotypes. Behaviors include a wide variety of norms, rules, customs, tradition, habits, practices, and fashion”(Shiraev 5). Culture does not only dictate what kinds of food are eaten in a person’s family, or their traditional music and customs, it actually determines many variable in a person’s psyche that may not only have an effect on assessment, but also effect the entire direction taken by the clinician.
While we live in our western, Judeo-Christian culture, we may forget that anything else may exist out side our society that may have different ideas, norm, and beliefs than our own. “Clinical and counseling psychology tend to utilize traditional western individual culture values in the practice of therapy, despite constant conversation on the importance of person-environment considerations”(Ivey 195). Since psychology itself was developed by western culture is the reason why most research, publication and theories are based on our culture, but to use us as a basis to generalize about other cultures might prove to be a scientifically mistaken and morally wrong. While psychologists usually take under account gender and age differences when assessing and treating patients, little attention is given to cultural differences that may have an equal if not greater impact on assessment and treatment than age and gender.
Cultural, and ethnic diversity as well as gender, and age differences are recognized and are mentioned in the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
1.08 Human Differences - Where differences of age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, or socioeconomic status significantly affect psychologists' work concerning particular individuals or groups, psychologists obtain the training, experience, consultation, or supervision necessary to ensure the competence of their services, or they make appropriate referrals.
1.09 Respecting Others - In their work-related activities, psychologists respect the rights of others to hold values, attitudes, and opinions that differ from their own.
1.10 Nondiscrimination - In their work-related activities, psychologists do not engage in unfair discrimination based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, socio-economic status, or any basis proscribed by law.
Although some attention is given to the issue in the code of conduct, it is extremely vague and general, dealing more with the professional aspect of the problem, indicating that these differences are not given much weight. “Counseling and psychotherapy theory historically have tended to see cultural differences as secondary”(Ivey 198).
