Kyle Duffy
Dr. Conway
Ethics and the Common Good
9/25/14
The Psychological Manipulation of Detainees in the Interrogation Setting
The Practice The practice of psychological manipulation of detainees in the interrogation setting is a common one but not necessarily a simple one. The Oxford English Dictionary defines manipulation as, “The action or an act of managing or directing a person, etc., esp. in a skillful manner; the exercise of subtle, underhand, or devious influence or control over a person, organization, etc.; interference, tampering.” Psychological manipulation is the act of utilizing psychology to achieve this goal. The language of the definition, with the use of words such as underhand, devious, control, interference, and tampering …show more content…
Individual morality emphasizes the importance of following one’s conscience. The focus of human rights is on treating all people as equal persons, including those with disabilities, both physical and mental. Public morality is dependent on the context of the society that is in question. This poses the problem that while societies are different, some societal normative practices may be immoral or amoral. Allan says that, “law is largely an expression of the public morality in the relevant jurisdiction because it is made by delegates of the majority of citizens in the jurisdiction,” in regard to democracy (49). He does mention that a law may be considered immoral by one’s personal morality. If this is so, the individual may or may not choose to ignore the law. Professional norms consist of a combination of the procedures and values held by that specific professional …show more content…
What the people want and what the people actually need may be different. It is up to the lawmakers to determine this. When this is ignored, everyone is affected, including criminal investigators. They are called to obey and enforce laws that they might not necessarily agree with and laws that may be unjust. Corrupt laws can lead to a corrupt investigation. Allan says, “While the same norm systems that regulate the decision-making and behaviour of their peers, govern correctional and forensic psychologists, the application of the components of these norm systems differ…” (54). What Allan means by this is that it is less than ideal that forensic psychologists are educated and judged along the same ethical principles as clinical psychologists. The contexts are incredibly different and therefore call for different regulations. The rules are intended for a treatment setting and assume that the person sitting across from the psychologist is mentally ill and most likely open to seeking treatment. That is not even close to the environment that the forensic psychologist is operating in, one where the person sitting across from him or her may be hostile or very difficult to talk to as that individual certainly would not want to be there. The lack of a set of ethical guidelines specifically created for forensic psychologists does not just limit them in some
Dr. Conway
Ethics and the Common Good
9/25/14
The Psychological Manipulation of Detainees in the Interrogation Setting
The Practice The practice of psychological manipulation of detainees in the interrogation setting is a common one but not necessarily a simple one. The Oxford English Dictionary defines manipulation as, “The action or an act of managing or directing a person, etc., esp. in a skillful manner; the exercise of subtle, underhand, or devious influence or control over a person, organization, etc.; interference, tampering.” Psychological manipulation is the act of utilizing psychology to achieve this goal. The language of the definition, with the use of words such as underhand, devious, control, interference, and tampering …show more content…
Individual morality emphasizes the importance of following one’s conscience. The focus of human rights is on treating all people as equal persons, including those with disabilities, both physical and mental. Public morality is dependent on the context of the society that is in question. This poses the problem that while societies are different, some societal normative practices may be immoral or amoral. Allan says that, “law is largely an expression of the public morality in the relevant jurisdiction because it is made by delegates of the majority of citizens in the jurisdiction,” in regard to democracy (49). He does mention that a law may be considered immoral by one’s personal morality. If this is so, the individual may or may not choose to ignore the law. Professional norms consist of a combination of the procedures and values held by that specific professional …show more content…
What the people want and what the people actually need may be different. It is up to the lawmakers to determine this. When this is ignored, everyone is affected, including criminal investigators. They are called to obey and enforce laws that they might not necessarily agree with and laws that may be unjust. Corrupt laws can lead to a corrupt investigation. Allan says, “While the same norm systems that regulate the decision-making and behaviour of their peers, govern correctional and forensic psychologists, the application of the components of these norm systems differ…” (54). What Allan means by this is that it is less than ideal that forensic psychologists are educated and judged along the same ethical principles as clinical psychologists. The contexts are incredibly different and therefore call for different regulations. The rules are intended for a treatment setting and assume that the person sitting across from the psychologist is mentally ill and most likely open to seeking treatment. That is not even close to the environment that the forensic psychologist is operating in, one where the person sitting across from him or her may be hostile or very difficult to talk to as that individual certainly would not want to be there. The lack of a set of ethical guidelines specifically created for forensic psychologists does not just limit them in some