Ethics in Social Research: Case Study, Codes, and Potential Breaches

This essay critically examines the ethics in social research, focusing on a case study involving a counselor's actions and their adherence to ethical codes. It explores the importance of ethics in professional practice, particularly in counseling, where client perception and well-being are paramount. The essay delves into a scenario where a counselor, Hannah, utilizes client information without consent, raising ethical concerns. It analyzes potential breaches of ethical guidelines, including those outlined by the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Right to Information Act. The analysis highlights the conflict between the counselor's intentions to improve counseling methods and the ethical implications of conducting research without informed consent. The essay concludes by emphasizing the significance of ethical conduct in social research and the potential consequences of violating these principles, such as legal repercussions and the revocation of professional licenses. References to relevant literature support the arguments presented.

Running head: ETHICS IN SOCIAL RESEARCH
ETHICS IN SOCIAL RESEARCH
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note

1ETHICS IN SOCIAL RESEARCH
The ethics form an integral part of the system as it includes serious morals that need
to be addressed while performing a duty in a profession (Bond, 2015). The ethics play a
major role in order to understand the proper responsibility of the job role, the most important
consideration that is being undertaken by the people are based on the ethics that governs over
the actions undertaken by them. The ethics that are related to a profession helps in
determining the moral issues that are being faced by the profession and thereby helps in
avoiding the circumstances (Feltham, Hanley & Winter, 2017).
This essay deals with a case study as well as its relevance to the codes of ethics in
terms of practice while conducting any social research. This essay critically also reviews the
potential breach of ethics in terms of the relevancy with the professional codes of ethics,
policies or the legislation.
The purposes of this essay it to help understand the values of ethics in terms of social
research and practice. This essay also helps understand the potential breach of ethics with
relevance to the ethical guidelines of social research.
The ethical point of view that is being addressed in this discussion adheres to the first
case study and therefore helps in solving the dilemma of the ethics that are being connected
with the profession (Parker, 2013). The value of the ethics that are being administered in the
profession of a counselor is a vital factor that needs to be obliged since the counselor works
upon the perception and mental cognition of the people. The researcher or the counselor must
adhere to the ethics in order to utilize of the probable steps that helps in undertaking the
sessions effectively (Johnson et al., 2012). The significant factor that should to be obliged by
the researcher is based on the ethics, which helps in determining the type of counseling
required by the client. It helps in determining the requirement of the clients based on the

2ETHICS IN SOCIAL RESEARCH
conditions faced by the client and the challenges faced by the counselor in making the crucial
contemplation (Loewenthal & Samuels, 2014).
With reference to the first case study, the critical factor that is taken into account by
the counselor, Hannah, in making use of the information of the clients without their consent
is an ethical issue based on the principles of the profession. The ethics that determine the
information that is being utilized by the counselor, based on the requirements of the research,
faces an issue based on the unethical considerations (McLeod, 2014).
Assuming the fact that Hannah wanted to only study the effects of the therapist’s
reinforcements of the statements by the clients during the counseling session, if the clients
were informed in prior about the activities and the performance of the clients, there was a
sure possibility of the results being biased. This can be assumed to be acted upon by the
clients under the social consciousness. Henceforth the methods that needed Hannah to work
under incognito, even though the method and the purpose was highly influential and justified,
yet the manner to derived the data and the results was executed by unethical measures
(Proctor, 2014).
Under the circumstantial evidence, Hannah was performing the act under the
perception that the results might be derived on an unbiased notion. This can be believed,
under the impression that the clients were completely unaware of being under surveillance
and observation. Since the analysis, was necessary to help in the improvising of the
counseling methods the complete investigation was needed to be done under the unawareness
of the clients. Even though the motive of such secrecy was completely justified to avert and
avoid any risk of obtaining manipulated data, yet the method was a breach of ethics to some
extent (Proctor, 2014).

3ETHICS IN SOCIAL RESEARCH
As classified under the guidelines of the ethical guidelines in social research as
informed by National Health and Medical Research Council, the act of observing the clients
unnoticed and uniformed curtained breached some of the ethical guideline, in pretext of the
client’s non-participation. As cited, the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research
Involving Human certainly offered some of the ethical guidelines are an authoritative
statement on the health research that involves the Aboriginals and Torres Strait islander
people (Tribe & Morrissey, 2015). The national statement sets out its basic principles and
guidelines in terms of people on mental or intellectual grounds that are derived from under
National and Medical Research Council Act 1992. The principle breaches of ethical conducts
that can be concluded from this case study are notified under section 3 (chapter 3.3) and
section 5(Chapter 5.5), which mainly involves with the intervention and the therapies
including the clinical and non-clinical trials and innovations as well as monitoring of
approved research. Another most significant breach of the ethics is based on the Right to
Information Act, which helps the clients to receive the information about the proceedings of
the sessions (Tribe & Morrissey, 2015).
Based on the principles as vested under the National and Medical Research Council
Act, 1992, section 3 defines about the monitoring of the clinical research, which is coherent
and related with section 5, that defines that the researcher must be aware of the ethical values
and comprehend to the research in written. This act also implies the researcher to comply
with the participant’s interest. Although in the case study, none of the mentioned guidelines
was present. The second ethical guideline of Right to information Act was also breached
since Hannah did not inform the clients about the observation which she was implying on the
clients without their approval, knowledge as well as awareness. This was a absolute breach of
ethical values in terms of the ethical values as allotted under the Acts (Tribe & Morrissey,
2015).

4ETHICS IN SOCIAL RESEARCH
With the help of the essay and under circumstantial evidence, it can be concluded that
Hannah performed certain actions that was utmost important to understand, analyze and study
the client’s behavior for improvising in the counseling process. Although the principle
motive was of utmost significance to keep a track of the client’s performance and the
counseling process, yet to accomplish such the breaching of the ethical values was a sheer act
of negligence. On a personal note, even though the voyeuristic process of observing the
clients had a better motive, breaching of the ethical values was a not so smart move could
possibly invite legal intervention due to the breach of values in terms of ethics. This could
also result in the revoking of the counseling practitioner’s license, if the act was caught and
subjected to penalization.

5ETHICS IN SOCIAL RESEARCH
References
Bond, T. (2015). Standards and ethics for counselling in action. Sage.
Feltham, C., Hanley, T., & Winter, L. A. (Eds.). (2017). The SAGE handbook of counselling
and psychotherapy. Sage.
Johnson, W. B., Barnett, J. E., Elman, N. S., Forrest, L., & Kaslow, N. J. (2012). The
competent community: toward a vital reformulation of professional ethics. American
Psychologist, 67(7), 557.
Loewenthal, D., & Samuels, A. (Eds.). (2014). Relational psychotherapy, psychoanalysis and
counselling: Appraisals and reappraisals. Routledge.
McLeod, J. (2014). Doing research in counselling and psychotherapy. Sage.
Parker, M. (Ed.). (2013). Ethics and community in the health care professions. Routledge.
Proctor, G. M. (2014). Values and ethics in counselling and psychotherapy. Sage.
Tribe, R., & Morrissey, J. (Eds.). (2015). Handbook of professional and ethical practice for
psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists. Routledge.