Ethics in PsychologyOur country was founded on certain moral principles. The moral principles that guide our lives are called ethics. This ethic impacts how we interact with the world around us and shape our personality; this happens even if we do not realize their immediate impact. It is precisely for this reason that ethics in psychological research has become necessary. “Ethics can also be defined as a method, procedure or perspective for deciding how to act and analyzing complex problems and issues” (Resnik, 2011). We are expected to behave or be treated in a particular way in society, which is why we should be given certain ethical treatment when it comes to research. Human Participants According to the American Psychological Association (APA), there are five principles general skills that help the psychologist maintain professionalism while performing scientific functions. The five general principles are beneficence, fidelity, integrity, justice and respect for the rights of people. These fundamental principles help guide 12 subsections of appropriate ethics in research involving human participants. These subsections are in place to protect the participants because they place a lot of trust in the experimenter. They are designed to eliminate discrimination, harassment and exploitation of subjects. They also ensure that the experimenter takes into account different roles and external factors such as third parties. One of the most important, however, is the fact of not harming the participant and the possibility for the participant to withdraw from the experiment even after initial consent (American Psychological Association, 2010). This ethic is important because it defines the limits of the working relationship. This allows the participant to have ...... middle of paper ...... all situations can be tested without deception. Just as the world around us is subjective to one another, so too are the ethics by which each of us lives. We need to understand the risks and rewards before giving consent if we have problems with a scientific study. References American Psychological Association. (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American psychologist. Committee on Animal Research and Ethics. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/science/leadership/care/index.aspxMcLeod, SA (2007). Ethics of research in psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/Ethics.html Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral study of obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67, 371-378. Resnik, D. (2011, MAY 01). What is ethics in research and why is it important?. Retrieved from http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis/