Psycholog jako nauczyciel akademicki w mediach. Refleksja etyczna

As members of academic societies and acting in accordance with a professional-ethical code, psychologists are required to realise principal ethical values connected with their profession, which include dignity, subjectivity and autonomy of a human being. Moreover, in relations with representatives of different fields of knowledge, psychologists attempt to promulgate such types of relations, based on the aforementioned values. The recent development of the media has provided many psychologists with a unique chance to popularise psychological knowledge. Nevertheless, while spreading it, every psychologist is obligated to check if the content of presented facts is in accordance with contemporary science, taking into consideration not only the differences between hypotheses, but also substantiated claims. Special attention is paid by every psychologist to a careful presentation of the facts which are at variance with the common psychological knowledge or are susceptible to various interpretations. Therefore, practical capabilities of the modern psychology are presented by psychologists in an honest way. Psychologists disseminate knowledge through a variety of media. Their main focus is on writing scientific and popular scientific articles, but sometimes also psychological articles for advice sections or psychological columns of the daily press. What is more, the radio, the television and the Internet provide a great possibility of popularising psychology. Nevertheless, it should be emphasized that there are a lot of dangers of moral nature, hidden behind almost unlimited possibilities offered by the above -mentioned innovations. Hence, there appears a demand for an ethical reflection on the risks of the media involvement.