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Psychologists find it difficult to balance their clients' and society's interests when these interests differ from each other, such as when their clients pose a risk of harm to others. Society's in...

Terminally ill people might want to discuss the options they have of hastening their deaths with their psychologists who should therefore know the law that regulates euthanasia in the jurisdictions...

Emotion regulation problems underlie the abnormal levels of negative or positive emotion that characterise many forms of psychopathology. Several self-report measures of emotion regulation ability exist, but many are inconsistent with contemporary emotion regulation theory, and none comprehensively assess this construct across both negative and positive emotions. In this paper, we report our attempt to remedy these measurement limitations by developing and validating the Perth Emotion Regulation Competency Inventory (PERCI), a 32 item self-report questionnaire that measures emotion regulation ability as it is defined by the extended process model of emotion regulation. In Study 1, our confirmatory factor analyses in a sample of adults (N = 231) suggested that the PERCI had a factor structure consistent with its theoretical basis and could separately measure people's ability to regulate their negative and positive emotions. All subscale and composite scores had high internal consistency reliability. Study 2 (N = 1175) replicated these findings with respect to factor structure and internal consistency reliability, and correlational or regression analyses with measures of psychopathology, emotion regulation processes, alexithymia, and interpersonal attachment style also supported the validity of the PERCI. We conclude that the PERCI appears to have strong psychometric properties. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

The behavior of some nightlife-setting patrons would be unacceptable in workplaces or public settings and could cause distress to other patrons. This quantitative study determined 381 young Austral...

Alexithymia is a trait comprising people's ability to focus attention on and accurately appraise their own emotions. Its assessment is of clinical interest because people who have difficulty processing their negative and positive emotions are more vulnerable to developing psychopathology symptoms, however, existing alexithymia measures cannot comprehensively assess the construct across both negative and positive emotions. In this paper, we attempt to remedy these measurement limitations by developing and validating a new 24-item self-report measure, the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ), which is based on the attention-appraisal model of alexithymia. In Study 1, our confirmatory factor analyses in a sample of 231 adults suggested that the PAQ had a factor structure consistent with its theoretical basis; it could separately measure all components of the construct and do so across negative and positive emotions. All subscale and composite scores had high internal consistency reliability. Study 2 (N = 748) replicated these findings with respect to the PAQ's factor structure and internal consistency reliability, and statistical comparisons with measures of psychopathology and emotion regulation supported the PAQ's concurrent and discriminant validity. Our data therefore suggest that the PAQ has strong psychometric properties as a measure of alexithymia. Clinical and research applications are discussed.

Alexithymia is an important mental health construct, but there is continuing debate regarding its definition and measurement. We attempt to resolve this definitional uncertainty in two ways. Firstly, we trace the development of the alexithymia construct, focusing particularly on what we call the Toronto and Amsterdam models, and examine a body of empirical research that shows strong support for the hypothesis that alexithymia consists of three components (difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally orientated thinking). Based on these components, we formulate an alternate theoretical model of alexithymia, the attention-appraisal model of alexithymia , that aligns alexithymia theory with recent advances in the broader emotion regulation field. Secondly, we examine the construct's latent structure by factor analysing data from multiple psychometric measures administered to a community sample ( N = 368). Our results suggest statistical support for our model, rather than the Toronto or Amsterdam models. We end by discussing how our model accounts for several unresolved issues within the alexithymia field, including the construct's relation to imaginal capacities and emotional reactivity, whether alexithymia is a deficit or a defence, how it might be addressed in psychiatric treatment, and the discordance that has existed between alexithymia theory and alexithymia measurement. Ethical statement Ethics approval for this project was granted by the Edith Cowan University Human Research Ethics Committee. The guidelines of this committee were followed. All participants provided informed consent for their data to be used.

Alexithymia, which involves difficulties identifying, communicating, and thinking about emotions, could be an important factor in violent offending. Our aim with the current study was to explore th...

Professions have a social obligation to ensure that their members’ professional behavior is morally appropriate. The psychology profession in most jurisdictions delegates the responsibility of ensu...

Alexithymia is a trait involving difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally orientated thinking. Over the past two decades, it has usually been assessed using the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Recently, the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) was developed to provide more detailed facet-level (and valence-specific) analysis. To date, no studies have compared these two measures, and few data are available on the PAQ. We examined the psychometric properties of the PAQ and TAS-20 in United States adults (N = 675). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that both measures had a theoretically congruent factor structure. While the PAQ assessed alexithymia for both negative and positive emotions, the TAS-20 assessed alexithymia only for negative emotions. All PAQ and TAS-20 subscales had good reliability, except for the TAS-20 externally orientated thinking subscale. Pearson correlations supported the convergent validity of both measures. We conclude that the PAQ and TAS-20 both have strong qualities and assess a similar alexithymia construct, however, the PAQ appears to provide a more comprehensive facet-level profile.

Some psychologists working in the psychology and law (psycholegal) field feel that the profession does not provide them with adequate ethical guidance even though the field is arguably one of the oldest and best established applied fields of psychology. The uncertainty psychologists experience most likely stems from working with colleagues whose professional ethics differs from their own while providing services to demanding people and the many moral questions associated with the administration of law. I believe psychology’s ethics does, however, provide adequate moral guidance. It has a sound historical basis, has face validity and emphasizes those social moral principles that allow psychologists to best serve individuals and society. Psychologists may nevertheless be confronted with conflicting demands because there are other norm systems that also regulate their behavior as researchers and practitioners, and they, like all people, are influenced by their conscience. Ultimately, psychologists working in...

Our premise is that ethics is the essence of good forensic practice and that mental health professionals must adhere to the ethical principles, standards, and guidelines of their professional bodies when they communicate their findings and opinions. We demonstrate that adhering to ethical principles can improve the quality of forensic reports and communications. We demonstrate this by focusing on the most basic principles that underlie professional ethical standards and guidelines, namely, Fidelity and Responsibility, Integrity, Respecting Rights and Dignity of Persons, and Justice and Fairness. For each principle we offer a brief definition and explain its demands. Then we identify ways in which the principle can guide the organization, content, or style of forensic mental health report writing, offering illustrative examples that demonstrate or abuse the principle.

Researchers have found that disrespectful behaviour can have a notable psychological impact on victims and observers thereof. It is not surprising, therefore, that law and all the major psychology ...

The codes of ethics and conduct of a number of psychology bodies explicitly refer to human rights, and the American Psychological Association recently expanded the use of the construct when it amended standard 1.02 of the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. What is unclear is how these references to human rights should be interpreted. In this article I examine the historical development of human rights and associated constructs and the contemporary meaning of human rights. As human rights are generally associated with law, morality, or religion, I consider to which of forms of these references most likely refer. I conclude that these references in ethical codes are redundant and that it would be preferable not to refer to human rights in codes. Instead, the profession should acknowledge human rights as a separate and complimentary norm system that governs the behavior of psychologists and should ensure that they have adequate knowledge of human rights and encourage them to promote hum...

Compared to their peers, correctional and forensic psychologists are more likely to encounter legal‐ethical problems and have complaints lodged against them. The problems that confront them are oft...

Section 35(1)(c) of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act (2009) requires the newly formed Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) “to develop or approve standards, codes and guidelines.” In 2010 the PsyBA decided to initially adopt the Australian Psychological Society's (APS) Code of Ethics (2007) and develop a new code in the future with the involvement of key stakeholders without deciding what the nature of this code will be. The PsyBA now has to decide exactly how it will proceed in future. My aim in this article is to examine the options available to the PsyBA by exploring the definition and function of codes; presenting a history of the APS Code; and considering approaches that had been followed in Europe, Israel, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Jean L. Pettifor University of Calgary Alfred Allan Edith Cowan University Fred Seymour University of Auckland Ann D. Watts Psychological Society of South Africa, Capetown, South Africa Andrea Ferrero San Luis University Laura Hernandez-Guzman Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico An-Magritt Aanonson and Torleiv Odland Norsk Psykologforening Yesim Korkut Bahcesehir University Kenneth Pope Norwalk, Connecticut In this article, eight psychologists from different parts of the world (Argentina, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States) comment on the international significance of the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. The most common themes expressed about the Canadian Code were the value of the foundational moral framework, the value-based ethical decision-making model, the positive aspirational focus, and the conceptual clarity. The Code that was developed nationally for Canadian psychologists 25 years ago is now acclaimed internationally. In a troubled and globalizing world, the need for strong worldwide humanizing ethical principles has never been greater. Keywords: CPA Code, international, psychology Work on the development of the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists (Canadian Psychological Association, 1986, 1991, 2000) was motivated by a need to serve Canadian psychologists. By the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, through publications and presentations at international conferences, many psychology organisations outside Canada (and sometimes members of other professions) became aware of the then-new Canadian Code. Those in the process of developing or revising their own codes began to consider and evaluate the Code as part of that process. In a 1998 Special Issue of Canadian Psychology regarding the Code, comments by psychologists from the following countries were included: the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations, Geoff Lindsay; Ireland, Richard Booth: New Zealand, Brian Dixon; and South Africa, Doug Wassenaar. Today, entering the second decade of the 21st Century, not only has the Code received continuing international attention and acclaim, but new ethical issues on the world stage have surfaced. Such issues range from questions about the use of computer technology to the consequences of internationalization and globalization. In the current Special Issue, commentaries by psychologists from around the globe have again been included, each reflecting on the significance of the Canadian Code on psychologists' ability to meet these new ethical challenges. Several themes appear throughout the following commentaries. First, the most valued contribution of the Canadian Code appears to be the formulation of an explicit moral framework or foundation of ethical principles that are defined separately but linked to specific conduct and behaviours. The second theme seems to be the delineation in the Code of a process for value-based decisionmaking in contrast to an emphasis on complying only with rules about what psychologists must or must not do. It is recognised that rules cannot cover all possible situations, and especially cannot be used to negotiate solutions to dilemmas. The third valued contribution is the emphasis in the Code on positive aspirations rather than on the bottom line for acceptable behaviour. Fourth is the conceptual clarity, user-friendly language, and practical approach, which are thought to enhance the effectiveness of teaching, supervising, and learning ethics and ethical decision-making. References Canadian Psychological Association. (1986). A Canadian code of ethics for psychologists. Ottawa, ON, Canada: Author. Canadian Psychological Association. (1991). Canadian code of ethics for psychologists. Ottawa, ON, Canada: Author. Canadian Psychological Association. …

There is no consensus in the psychological literature regarding the operational definition of an apology, nor is there a comprehensive theory of apology. The object of this study was to use a herme...

It is possible that the physical and mental health of crime victims might be improved by forgiving those who have offended against them. To date, no research has been undertaken to examine the proc...

This paper reports the findings of a retrospective study designed, primarily, to investigate the predictive accuracy of the Rapid Risk Assessment for Sexual Offence Recidivism (RRASOR); the Static 99 and two models developed in Western Australia, namely the Violent Offender Treatment Program Risk Assessment Scale (VOTPRAS) and the 3-Predictor model on a Western Australian sample of violent and nonviolent sexual offenders. A secondary aim was to establish whether the instruments are equally valid for Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and violent and nonviolent sexual offenders. The data of 538 convicted sexual offenders, who were assessed by the Sex Offender Treatment Program of the Western Australian Department of Justice from 1987 to 2002, were used. The predictor variables were the total scores obtained for each instrument and the outcome variable a conviction in a court for a further sexual offence and, in the case of the VOTPRAS, also a further violent offence. In general the predictive accuracy...

Using an experimental design that is unique in the study of fear of crime, this study compared the impact of different television report formats (standard, reassuring and remote) of a prison escape on fear of crime (operationalised as state anxiety) experienced by a middle-aged (35 - 45 years) and an older group (65 - 75 years) and male and female subjects. The format of television reporting influenced fear of crime, and the effect was the same for men and women, but older people who viewed the standard format, experienced significantly higher levels of fear than middle-aged people. Furthermore, women experienced higher levels of state anxiety than men after viewing the crime reports.

Psychological tests form a central part of most forensic assessments. However, the tests used, and the manner in which they are used, have been criticised, especially in the United States. In a survey of 79 Australian psychologists who do evaluations for the courts, we tried to determine which psychological tests they use, how frequently they use them, and their reasons for using particular tests. Our survey reveals that the Wechsler Intelligence Scales, Rey Complex Figure Test, and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) are used most frequently. Notably, 7 of the 10 most frequently used instruments were neuropsychological tests. Respondents most frequently take into account the “suitability to the situation” and the “psychometric properties of the test” when selecting a test. The study demonstrates that the tests used by forensic psychologists are generally well established in the clinical field, and that psychologists doing assessments for the courts must be competent users of neuro...