PS115 Unit 5 APA Ethics Code Case Paper Example

Course	PS115 Psychology Program and Profession
Unit	Unit 5
Paper type	Ethics case paper
Length	About 620 words, 5 pages double-spaced
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Purdue University Global
Program	BS in Psychology
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for PS115 Unit 5

A Neighbor's Question at the Recovery Center: A PS115 Unit 5 Ethics Case Paper Applying the APA Code

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

PS115: Psychology Program and Profession

Unit 5 Ethics Case Paper

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

The case and the people in it are composite; the ethics standards and sources cited are real.

What this part is doingGiving the decision and the standards that support it in the lead shows the paper reasons to an answer rather than listing principles.

The Case

Dana, a psychology student, volunteers two evenings a week at the front desk of a community recovery center, greeting people who arrive for group meetings. One Saturday at the grocery store, her neighbor, Mrs. Lyle, stops her. Mrs. Lyle says she has heard that Dana volunteers at the center, and she asks whether her son, Ben, has been going to the Tuesday group. She explains, in tears, that Ben promised the family he would attend and she does not believe him. Dana has seen Ben at the center on Tuesdays.

The Principles at Stake

Two of the APA's general principles apply most directly (American Psychological Association, 2017). Fidelity and responsibility asks psychologists to establish trust with the people they serve and to uphold their professional obligations. Respect for people's rights and dignity asks them to respect privacy, confidentiality and self-determination. A third principle, beneficence and nonmaleficence, pulls in the other direction, because Dana could relieve a worried mother's distress and might believe she is helping Ben's family support his recovery.

The Standards That Apply

Under Standard 4.01, whatever a psychologist learns in the course of the work must be kept private. Attendance at a treatment group is itself confidential; confirming that Ben attends reveals that he is in treatment. Standard 4.05, on disclosures, permits disclosure with consent or where the law mandates or permits it, for example to protect someone from harm, and nothing in this case meets that bar. Standard 3.05, on multiple relationships, cautions against relationships that could impair objectivity or risk harm, and Dana's role as a neighbor now overlaps with her role at the center.

Saying that someone attends a treatment group discloses that they are in treatment.

Dana is a student volunteer, not a psychologist, so the code does not formally bind her. The center's own privacy policy does, and so do federal rules that shield the records of addiction treatment programs more tightly than most health records. Koocher and Keith-Spiegel (2016) note that confidentiality obligations extend to everyone who works in a treatment setting, including support staff, because clients cannot tell which staff members are bound and which are not.

What this part is doingDistinguishing what binds a student volunteer from what binds a psychologist shows the paper applies the code accurately.

The Decision

Dana should neither confirm nor deny that Ben attends the center. She can say, kindly, that she is not able to talk about who does or does not come to the center, for anyone, and that this protects every family, including Mrs. Lyle's. She can suggest that Mrs. Lyle talk with Ben directly, or contact the center's family program, which offers support to relatives without disclosing any participant's information. She should then tell her volunteer supervisor about the conversation, both to get advice and so the center knows a neighbor has asked.

What I Take From the Case

Before this unit I would have thought that telling a worried mother the truth was the kind thing to do. The case shows that confidentiality protects the people in treatment and also the trust that brings others in. If Ben learned that a volunteer had confirmed his attendance to his mother, he might stop coming, and others might too. The kind response protects that trust while still taking the mother's distress seriously. Landrum and Davis (2014) encourage psychology majors to treat volunteer and entry-level roles as their first professional practice, and handling a moment like this one well is part of what that means.

What this part is doingClosing on how the case changed the writer's first instinct shows the ethics reasoning was learned, not recited.

References

American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017). https://www.apa.org/ethics/code

Koocher, G. P., & Keith-Spiegel, P. (2016). Ethics in psychology and the mental health professions: Standards and cases (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Landrum, R. E., & Davis, S. F. (2014). The psychology major: Career options and strategies for success (5th ed.). Pearson.

The Purdue Global PS115 Unit 5 instructions

Unit 5 of PS115 typically gives you a short case and asks you to reason through it with the APA Ethics Code. Summarize the case briefly. Identify the general principles at stake, including any that pull in opposite directions, and then the specific standards that apply, by number and name. Be accurate about whom the code binds, since students, volunteers and bachelor's-level workers are often governed by employer policies and other rules rather than the code itself. Reach a decision and explain the reasoning, including what the person should say or do and whom they should inform. Close with what the case taught you. Cite the code directly, and add a scholarly source on ethics in practice if you can.

How this PS115 Unit 5 example is built

The paper sets out the grocery store encounter and the volunteer's knowledge of the son's attendance. A principles section weighs fidelity and respect for rights against beneficence. The standards section explains why attendance itself is confidential under 4.01, why no exception under 4.05 applies, and how the neighbor relationship raises 3.05, under a highlighted line that confirming attendance reveals treatment. A paragraph distinguishes the volunteer's obligations, the center's policy and federal protection of addiction treatment records, citing Koocher and Keith-Spiegel on support staff. The decision gives words the volunteer can use, the family program referral and the supervisor report. A closing section explains how the case reversed the writer's first instinct and cites Landrum and Davis.

PS115 Unit 5 rubric: what earns full points

Instructors grade ethics case papers on accurate use of the code and on reasoning that reaches a decision. Naming the right standards by number earns credit, but only when the paper explains how each applies to the facts. Papers that list all five general principles without saying which ones conflict tend to lose points. Accuracy about who is bound by the code is expected and often overlooked. A decision that tells the person what to do and say, and whom to inform, earns more than a conclusion that the situation is complicated. Reflection on how the case changed the writer's thinking is usually part of the rubric. Citations should point to the current code and to scholarly sources in APA style.

PS115 Unit 5 help: mistakes that cost points

Weak drafts recite principle names and standard numbers but never connect a single one to what happened at the store or the desk. Another is a decision that ignores the principle on the other side, so the reasoning looks one-sided. Students often state that the code governs everyone in a mental health setting, which is not accurate for volunteers and many staff. Some papers propose disclosing information to help the family, overlooking that confidentiality protects the whole program's trust. Many skip the step of informing a supervisor. Before submitting, check that each standard you name is tied to a specific fact in the case, that your decision includes actual words or actions, and that you have said who must be told.

Get a PS115 Unit 5 example written to your instructions

Send the case and the paper instructions with the rubric. A custom paper identifies the principles and standards at stake and reasons through the case. The first one costs nothing, back within 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.

More PS115 papers and BS in Psychology samples

PS115 Unit 5 questions, answered

What are the APA's general ethical principles?

Beneficence and nonmaleficence, fidelity and responsibility, integrity, justice, and respect for people's rights and dignity.

Do ethics apply to students and bachelor's-level workers?

The code governs APA members, but employers, licensing boards and certifications set similar rules for other roles.

Should the paper reach a decision?

Yes, with the reasoning that supports it.

Where can I find a free PS115 Unit 5 sample paper?

This page contains the complete PS115 Unit 5 ethics paper applying the APA code to a composite volunteer asked about a neighbor's son at a recovery center.

Does the APA Ethics Code bind a student volunteer in the PS115 Unit 5 sample?

Not formally; the center's privacy policy and federal record protections bind the volunteer, and the code shows the reasoning professionals use.