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Towards a Code of Ethics for Community Psychology and Community Practice in the Arab World: Defining Ethical Aluesv

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Towards a Code of Ethics for Community Psychology and Community Practice in the Arab World: Defining Ethical Aluesv American University in Cairo AUC Knowledge Fountain Theses and Dissertations 2-1-2018 Towards a code of ethics for community psychology and community practice in the Arab world: Defining ethical aluesv Fatema Mohamed Abou El Ela Follow this and additional works at: https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds Recommended Citation APA Citation Abou El Ela, F. (2018).Towards a code of ethics for community psychology and community practice in the Arab world: Defining ethical aluesv [Master’s thesis, the American University in Cairo]. AUC Knowledge Fountain. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/1355 MLA Citation Abou El Ela, Fatema Mohamed. Towards a code of ethics for community psychology and community practice in the Arab world: Defining ethical aluesv . 2018. American University in Cairo, Master's thesis. AUC Knowledge Fountain. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/1355 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by AUC Knowledge Fountain. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of AUC Knowledge Fountain. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The American University in Cairo School of Humanities and Social Sciences Toward a Code of Ethics for Community Psychology and Community Practice in the Arab World: Defining Ethical Values A Thesis Submitted to Department of Psychology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Community Psychology by Fatema Abou El Ela Under the Supervision of Dr. Mona M. Amer January 2019 DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I first dedicate this study to God, my source of inspiration and strength. I hope to please Him and Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) with my efforts to bring values and principles into our communities. I also dedicate this thesis to my beloved parents, who have always been there for me and worked hard to grant me the best education. No words can express my gratitude and love towards them. I would like to thank them for always encouraging me to be the best version of myself that I can be. They have taught me integrity, perfection, kindness, and respect. I also dedicate this thesis to my dear, supportive husband, who encouraged me to complete this long journey and made all the hard work I put into it possible. I would have never been able to make this achievement without my parents and husbands’ love, help, support, and motivation. I also dedicate my work to the most inspirational person and most beautiful soul I have ever known, Dalia—may Allah raise her soul to the highest heavens. I am very grateful for having Dr. Mona Amer as my thesis supervisor and mentor throughout the M.A. program. I would like to thank her for her great efforts, patience, motivation, and valuable guidance. I learned a lot from her incredible knowledge, attention to detail and ethical conduct. I would also like to acknowledge the efforts and wisdom of my thesis readers, Dr. Wessam El Beih and Dr. Kate Ellis, and thank them for their time, flexibility, and valuable feedback. I am also grateful for the guidance and support of Dr. Carie Forden, as my program advisor and professor. I would like to thank all my community psychology professors, Dr. Hassan Zaky, Dr. Soumaia Al Ayyat and Dr. Safaa Sedky for their support and training; my beloved parents, husband and mother-in-law for their understanding and encouragement; the librarians and researchers for providing the world with a wealth of knowledge; Ayah Elewa, Menrit Victor, Sara Mohamed, and Salma Mowafi for transcribing and translating the interviews; my participants for providing my study with valuable information; and finally, my colleagues and friends for their motivation and guidance in fulfilling my passion to create a change in the world. ii ABSTRACT In response to the need for ethical guidance in Arab community psychology and other forms of community practice, this thesis used mixed methods to explore the ethical values that are of relevance to community psychologists and other community practitioners in the Arab World. A total of 18 community practitioners in the Arab region were interviewed to share their views on the importance of Arab societal values, the values of community psychology, and the principles identified in globally dominant codes of ethics for psychologists in community practice in the Arab world. Using thematic analysis, 53 themes were identified in the collected qualitative data, portraying the most important and influential values in Arab community practice. Moreover, 211 community practitioners in the Arab world responded to a self-administered questionnaire on the extent to which certain values are beneficial or problematic for Arab community practice. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the questionnaire, identifying the most beneficial values, controversial values and values that were sometimes viewed as irrelevant to Arab community practice. Based on the interview and questionnaire data, a list of recommended ethical values for Arab community practice is identified. Since codes of ethics are built on values, the results of this research are the first step towards building a comprehensive and culturally relevant code of ethics for community practitioners, including community psychologists, in the Arab region. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. vi Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 Community Psychology and Community Practice ................................................................. 3 What are Codes of Ethics? ...................................................................................................... 6 Well-Known National, Regional, and Universal Psychological Codes of Ethics .................. 9 Psychological Ethics in the Arab World ............................................................................... 23 Ethics in Community Psychology ......................................................................................... 32 Ethics in Community Practice .............................................................................................. 41 Ethical Considerations in Community Interventions ............................................................ 45 Aim of the Study ................................................................................................................... 55 Chapter 2 Methods ................................................................................................................... 58 Participants ............................................................................................................................ 58 Procedures ............................................................................................................................. 65 Materials ............................................................................................................................... 69 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 71 Chapter 3 Results ..................................................................................................................... 73 Interview Results .................................................................................................................. 73 Self-Administered Questionnaire Results ............................................................................. 94 Chapter 4 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 99 Strengths and Limitations ................................................................................................... 102 Conclusions and Recommendations ................................................................................... 104 References .............................................................................................................................. 106 Appendix A English Interview Informed Consent Form and General Questions ................. 116 Appendix B Arabic Interview Informed Consent Form and General Questions ................... 120 Appendix C English Interview Guide .................................................................................... 123 Appendix D Arabic Interview Guide ..................................................................................... 125 Appendix E English Self-Administered Questionnaire ......................................................... 126 Appendix F Arabic Self-Administered Questionnaire ........................................................... 134 Appendix G Descriptive Statistics for the Impact of Values on Arab Community Work ..... 141 Appendix H Ethical Values for Community Practitioners in the Arab World ...................... 142 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Development Process of the APA Ethics Code ........................................................... 11 Table 2 APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (APA, 2017) ............ 12 Table 3 Development Process of the CPA Ethics Code ........................................................... 14 Table 4 Structure of the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists (CPA, 2017) ...............
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