Ethics in the Handling of Instruments

Exclusive Use and Professional Zeal

Psychological eva luation instruments (psychometric and projective tests) are technological tools for the exclusive use of psychologists.

There is a fundamental ethical principle known as "professional zeal", which obliges the psychologist to safeguard this material.

This implies not allowing other professionals, unsupervised students or people outside the discipline to have access to the manuals, correction protocols or question booklets.

Indiscriminate access to these tools trivializes their use and can lead to misdiagnosis and iatrogenic labels that damage people's lives.

The Danger of Filtering and Abuse

"Abuse" of instruments includes their application without a clear clinical purpose, but also their public dissemination.

When test items, Rorschach sheets or correction keys are leaked on the Internet or sold freely, the test loses its validity and reliability.

If a patient knows the "correct" or expected answers before the assessment, the instrument is rendered useless as a diagnostic tool.

It is therefore a serious ethical misconduct to reproduce test material without control or to teach it to persons who are not legally competent to use it.

Restricted Acquisition and Sale

Due to the sensitivity of these tools, their sale is strictly regulated.

Publishers and trade bodies (such as the publication services of Colleges or Federations) must only sell psychotechnical material to graduate psychologists who present their current credentials. This restriction is a health quality control mechanism.

The psychologist must ensure that in his or her work environment (schools, companies, hospitals) the tests are under lock and key and under his or her strict custody, preventing untrained administrators or human resources personnel from manipulating or interpreting them.

Summary

Psychological assessment instruments are technological tools for the exclusive use of the professional, who must maintain a strict zeal to prevent unqualified people from having access to them.

The public leakage of test items or answers invalidates their diagnostic reliability, so their indiscriminate dissemination constitutes a serious ethical misconduct that damages the profession.

The sale of this material is severely regulated, and is allowed only to licensed and solvent psychologists in order to guarantee a sanitary quality control and avoid misdiagnosis due to incompetence.