Instruction sets and standardized ethical principles: Implications of APA ethical standards on validity scales of the MMPI-2.

摘要

The Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (APA, 1992) makes it clear that psychologists are to inform clients of the limits to confidentiality at the outset of psychotherapy. The Ethical Standards have been critiqued and many reviewers found them to be too vague and legalistic. Studies were reviewed that indicated not all psychologists comply with the Ethical Standards. Many psychologists prefer to use clinical judgment to decide when and how to inform clients of limits to confidentiality. Research has found that disclosure at the initiation of therapy reduced clients' willingness to divulge information. This experiment investigated the effects that four levels of information to participants about the limits to confidentiality had on several MMPI-2 validity scales. Predictions were that test-takers would respond significantly more defensively with each increase in specificity of limits. Results revealed the effects of these instructions on five measures of defensiveness (L, F, K, Fb, F-K) were minimal. Only a complete detailing of limits to confidentiality significantly impacted the L Scale. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.