ABSTRACT
Moral debate is an essential element in human existence, and ethics has been a central issue in philosophy for centuries. Moral decisions are almost always a compromise, balancing the imperatives of one principle against the imperatives of another and taking into account the particular circumstances. The problem of ethics in psychological research is daunting and any psychological research project calls for non-trivial ethical debate. Publication of the research brought vilification from other psychologists and from the press; Milgram’s study has become a notorious illustration of the alleged wickedness of psychological researchers. Academic psychologists make a living out of psychological research, and their career, salary, self-esteem, and peer recognition are all based on research achievement. Research on ethnicity and gender and the failure of ethical codes to be sensitive to the reactions and feelings of minority groups offers an example of ways in which psychological research has served to sustain social roles in society.
