Timothy L. Hulsey, PhD

presents a Saturday Morning Seminar

on

Action and Responsibility:
Toward a Psychoanalytic Moral Theory

Psychologists receive graduate training in ethics and are expected to abide by the APA Code of Ethics in their professional behavior. That Code was most recently revised in 2016 (after much debate) to address the actions of psychological professionals who oversaw and participated in enhanced interrogation activities for the US government. The ensuing scandal shook the profession's identity and brought into stark relief flaws inherent in the Code. The leadership of APA’s Division 39 were among the fiercest critics of the APA’s actions. This crisis made clear the gulf between professional ethics and morally-acceptable behavior. It also demonstrated that psychoanalytic understanding of ethical behavior differs from that of the Code. What is less clear is precisely how psychoanalytic theorists and practitioners understand morality.

This intermediate presentation will focus on the epistemological assumptions of psychoanalytic theory and how those assumptions have informed approaches to moral development, behavior, and decision-making. We will review both classical and modern psychoanalytic moral theories and the applications of these ideas to the professional ethics, clinical work, and research. We will discuss the influence of philosophy on the development of psychoanalytic theories of moral development. We will also examine psychoanalytic moral theories directly, including Freud’s drive theory, Hartmann’s ego psychology, and the object relations theories of Melanie Klein and Donald Winnicott.  Finally, we will examine the implications of moral assumptions for clinical practice. 

This program is designed to meet the requirement for psychologists licensed in the state of Tennessee to obtain continuing education in ethics and the law, including the requirement to obtain continuing education on Tennessee State Law.  Participants are advised to review the following documents prior to the program; Dr. Hulsey will entertain questions and discussion on these documents during the program. 

See http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx for the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.

http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/tncode/ for Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapter 11.

http://share.tn.gov/sos/rules/1180/1180.htm for an Official Compilation of the Rules and Regulations of the State of Tennessee, Chapters 1180-1, 1180-2, 1180-3, and 1180-4.

Issues and Updates on Tennessee Laws and Rules, presented by David C. Mathis, EdD at the Tennessee Psychological Association annual conference on November 3, 2017.  

Please click here to review the ASPPB Code of Conduct (2013). 

Presenter

Timothy L. Hulsey, PhD, who earned his doctoral degree in clinical psychology, is the Associate Provost and Director of Honors & Scholars Programs and Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  He has authored a monograph and seven peer-reviewed articles on moral development and moral decision-making.  

Schedule

8:30am Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:50am Welcome and Introduction

9:00am Ecce Homo: The Genealogy of (Psychoanalytic) Morals

10:30am Break

10:45am The Psychology of Everyday Morality: 
Drive Theory, Ego Psychology, and Object Relations

12:15pm Complete Evaluations and Adjourn. 

Learning Objectives

After attending this intermediate-level seminar in full, participants will be able to:

1) Compare and contrast moral codes with ethics codes, TCA, and the American Psychological Association's Code of Ethics.

2) Describe the historical and philosophical contexts within which psychoanalytic ideas about morality arose.

3) List two philosophical and two theoretical assumptions psychoanalysis makes about the development of moral beliefs.

4) Describe how drive theory, ego psychology, and object relations theories explain the development of moral beliefs.

5) List at least two implications of psychoanalytic moral assumptions for psychoanalytically-informed clinical practice.

Selected References/Recommended Readings

Dendy, E.B. (2010). Inherent contradictions in the ego ideal. The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 79(4), 991-1023.

Hulsey, T.L., & Hampson, P.J. (2014). Moral expertise. New Ideas in Psychology, 34, 1-11.

Lear, H. (2014). Mourning and moral psychology. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 31(4), 470-481.

Russell, F. (2012). Unity and synthesis in the ego ideal: Reading Freud’s concept through Kant’s philosophy. American Imago, 69(3), 353-383.

Shapiro, D. (2017). A psychodynamic view of action and responsibility: Clinical studies in subjective experience. New York, NY: Routledge.

Teo, T. (2015). Are psychological “ethics codes” morally oblique? Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 35(2), 78-89.

Walsh, R.T.G. (2015). Introduction to ethics in psychology: Historical and philosophical grounding. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 35(2), 69-77.

http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx for the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.

http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/tncode/ for Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapter 11.

Participants

This program is open to all APS members and other interested mental health professionals who may not be members. It is not limited to individuals practicing in a predominately psychoanalytic mode. The material will be appropriate for clinicians with intermediate levels of experience and knowledge.

Registration

Professional and Scholar Members:

$45 until November 6, 2017,

$55 after November 6, 2017.

Early-Career Professional Members:

Free if registered by November 6, 2017,

$10 after November 6, 2017.

Graduate Student Members: Free.

Non-members:

$60 until November 6, 2017,

$70 after November 6, 2017.

Although walk-ins will be accepted, please register online at www.aps-tn.org in advance to assure adequate food and seating.

If you prefer to pay by check, please complete the attached form and mail, with your payment, to:
Scott Swan, PhD
APS Treasurer
1005 Kenesaw Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37919.

Refunds honored with written/electronic notice at least 24 hours before date of conference. Contact Scott Swan, PhD. 

Contact the APS President Bill MacGillivray, PhD to negotiate fees, if needed.

Facility is accessible to persons who are physically challenged. Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons requesting them.

APS Membership
Eligible professionals can join APS or renew their membership for the 2017-2018 program year for $80. Scholars can join/renew for $50 and Early-Career Professionals can join/renew for $45. Graduate students may join or renew for $25.

American Psychological Association Approval Statement
Division 39 is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Division 39 maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Continuing Education
This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 3.0 continuing education credits. With full attendance and completion of a program Evaluation and Learning Assessment, a certificate will be issued. Psychologists will have their participation registered through Division 39.

This program is designed to meet the requirement for psychologists licensed in the state of Tennessee to obtain continuing education in ethics and the law, including the requirement to obtain continuing education on Tennessee State Law.  For further information, please refer to the Rules and Regulations of the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology.

APS and Division 39 are committed to conducting all activities in conformity with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles for Psychologists. APS and Division 39 are also committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in continuing education activities. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods.

Contact
If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address requests, questions, concerns and any complaints to APS President Bill MacGillivray, PhD.

There is no commercial support for this program nor are there any relationships between Division 39, APS, presenter, program content, research, grants or other funding sources that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest. During the program, the validity/utility of the content and risks/limitations of the approaches discussed will be addressed.