Media Portrayals of the Profession of Psychology

Select and review an episode of a television show or a film depicting a character that represents a psychology professional.

Review the following:

• ACA Code of Ethics
• Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct: Including 2010 Amendments

Using the readings, analyze the selected episode or film and complete the following:

• Describe the character and the character’s role in the television show or film. Cite the source (include the citation of the show or film).
• Evaluate the credibility of the character portraying the psychology professional (job title, credentials, level of experience, etc.).
• If information on credibility is not clearly provided, identify the character’s role (psychologist, counselor, etc.) and describe the likely level of education, type of licensure, and estimated number of years of experience. Does the character seem well trained, professional, and experienced?
• Do you have any concerns regarding the ethical behavior of the character? Be sure to cover the following:
  • Identify at least one ethical dilemma encountered by the character as well as one example of the character behaving unethically in the episode or film.
  • Either discuss how the character made the right ethical choice or describe the ethical behavior the character should have demonstrated.
  • Provide the relevant ethics code or standard in quotation marks from the readings.
• How realistically has the show or the character depicted the profession of psychology? Does the show harm the image of psychology or help it? Be specific in your response.
• Identify any multicultural issues that arise in the show or film. Does the character demonstrate multicultural competency? In what ways? If not, how does the character demonstrate a lack of sensitivity and what should the character have done instead?
• Support your statements with information from academic sources, such as your textbook and assigned readings and articles you find in the Argosy University online library resources.