ABSTRACT
A prolific academic author once told me that an effective book is generally based on just one idea-irrespective of how broad the topic or complex the material. I took the comment to mean that in order to make a point one should at least have a point to make. The overarching thesis of this book is that, contrary to an attitude often expressed or implied, professional ethics is not an unreasonable set of rules or expectations designed by intrusive idealists to make our lives more difficult. As psychologists we study human behavior. To do so, we depend on the goodwill and trust of the persons who cooperate with us voluntarily, sometimes revealing their private selves to us, enabling us to do our work and research. As industrial and organizational (I/O) psychologists we further depend on the goodwill of organizational decision makers who trust us when we say that we can improve the effectiveness of their enterprises. As professionals, we cannot do that work very well, at least not for very long, if we do not treat all of those persons ethically-that is, honestly, fairly, and with respect and dignity.
