Etiese klagtes teen sielkundiges: biografiese eienskappe van klaers en aangeklaagdes

[摘要] When a complaint of unethical behaviour is lodged, it can cause a great deal ofdamage to professional people and their professions. Unfortunately psychology isone of those professions which can easily fall prey to such accusations. Thenature of relations with clients/patients are often intimately personal, and there arealso a number of psychotherapeutic techniques and measuring-instruments ofwhich the reliability and validity are questioned. The situation is complicated evenfurther because it seems as though a number of universities do not give adequateattention to training in ethics.The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent and nature of complaintsregarding unethical behaviour lodged against psychologists at the HealthProfessions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Certain biographical characteristicsof the accused and the complainant also received attention.Approximately 1.4% of all South African psychologists from 1990-1999 wasannually accused of unethical behaviour, from which an average of 15% resultedin disciplinary investigations. Only 5% of complaints and 35% of disciplinaryinvestigations eventually led to a conviction. Almost 50% of the disciplinaryinvestigations were however not completed when the research was conducted.The HPCSA instituted most of the complaints (22.5%) and it deals with the neglectof annual registration. Regarding the rendering of services, most of the complaintssprig from dissatisfaction with accounts (15.8%). Other complaints were forexample: dissatisfaction with reports (12.6%), incompetence (12.4%) and improperbehaviour (11.4%). It appears that the complainant were often a family member(33%), rather than the client/patient (23%). This can be attributed to the fact thatchildren are often clients/patients and that their parents would complain on theirbehalf. The two penalties most often imposed are a warning or suspendedsentence. Recommendations to improve the quality of psychological services tothe public and decrease complaints against psychologists, were made.

[发布机构] University of the Free State