Education of psychologists for human rights awareness, accountability, and action

Tibbitts, F., & Hagenaars, P. (2020). Education of psychologists for human rights awareness, accountability, and action. In N. S. Rubin & R. L. Flores (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of psychology and human rights(pp. 475–489). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108348607.033

Abstract

Psychologists have obligations to uphold ethical principles according to codes of conduct for psychologists and statutes of psychologists’ associations. The Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles for Psychologists (UDEPP) adopted in 2008 states: “Ethics is at the core of every discipline.” The UDEPP speaks to the common moral framework that guides and inspires psychologists worldwide towards the highest ethical ideals in their professional and scientific work. To reach these ethical ideals, psychology students and psychologists need to be educated in human rights. This chapter begins with a rationale for infusing human rights in psychology education and the training of psychology professionals. We then present the field of human rights education (HRE), including its definition as well as international and regional policies and theories that have evolved over the past twenty-five years, pointing out their relevance for psychology. In the final section, we propose human rights-related themes and methodologies for psychology education that address research carried out in the field, practices of psychologists and counselors, and social issues that influence and can be informed by psychology.