ABSTRACT
If, as Adorno (1969) suggested, the psyche is the distillation of history, then the publication of this book at this historical juncture is no coincidence. Evidence of social dysfunction is on a massive scale, too obvious to bear enumeration. Into the midst of this dysfunction, the term ethics has entered common parlance. Media accounts of “ethical” transgressions in political, professional, and business practices abound. The sheer number of articles on “professional ethics” listed in psychology journals rose from 25 in 1988 to 224 in 1993—a 900% increase! During this same period, ethics has become associated with intra-professional specialization: Ethical guidelines have been developed by most major professional organizations, both within and outside of scientific disciplines. Major medical institutions have established guidelines to delineate mandatory practices (Kovenman & Shipp, 1994). The fact that this historical moment—the last decade of the century, a period usually characterized by decadence—has witnessed such a surge in attention to issues of “morality” deserves a moment's reflection.
