The Truman Show focuses on Truman Burbank, a man who was adopted by a TV company after his birth. He lives in a large TV set, unknowingly filmed at every moment in a live broadcast to the public. Living in a world of lies, Truman begins to discover the truth of his life and acts upon it. Christof, the director of the TV show, controls Burbanks’ life.His main goal is to get the TV show to be a success, however, by doing so he neglects all ethical guidelines to an experiment but particularly the right to informed consent, confidentially, limited debriefing and freedom from coercion. According to American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles in the Conduct of Research with Human Participants (1982), researchers must keep everything they learn about the participant absolutely confidential. Evidently in The Truman
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Perhaps the confidentially rule would not have been breached if Christof had proposed his idea for a legitimate scientific experiment, one where psychologists analyze and evaluate Burbanks behaviour and do keep it confidential and anonymous. However for this to work this would require Burbanks consent, this was yet another principle that was certainly abused. Consent is arguably the most important in an experiment. If the research participant does not give clear consent the experiment cannot begin. The American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles in the Conduct of Research with Human Participants (1982) claims “it’s not ethical to allow individuals to participate in an experiment in an experiment without knowing what they are getting into”. Burbank was never given the option to be a part of the experiment, he was forced into it at birth. There was no possible way he could have known what was happening or being able to quit and not have continued with the lifelong experiment. Another aspect as to why it would be difficult to require consent from a
Perhaps the confidentially rule would not have been breached if Christof had proposed his idea for a legitimate scientific experiment, one where psychologists analyze and evaluate Burbanks behaviour and do keep it confidential and anonymous. However for this to work this would require Burbanks consent, this was yet another principle that was certainly abused. Consent is arguably the most important in an experiment. If the research participant does not give clear consent the experiment cannot begin. The American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles in the Conduct of Research with Human Participants (1982) claims “it’s not ethical to allow individuals to participate in an experiment in an experiment without knowing what they are getting into”. Burbank was never given the option to be a part of the experiment, he was forced into it at birth. There was no possible way he could have known what was happening or being able to quit and not have continued with the lifelong experiment. Another aspect as to why it would be difficult to require consent from a