On the Ethical Foundations of Psychology

Abstract

The article addresses a most important, in the author’s opinion, issue of the ethical foundations of psychology and is structured around three main models: Socratic, sophistic and existential. The Socratic model is based on the idea of a close connection between ontology and ethics. In the philosophical understanding (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Kant), the goal of this model (Good) is a modulation of a virtuous life, and at the model’s core is the questioning about the soul. It is the questioning about the soul that lays the foundation of the future science of psychology. Its fundamental difference from contemporary psychology is in the ethics-centred image of man. The sophistic model, rooted in culture, is a form of ethical relativism, manifesting itself in the erosion of the significance of the ethics of truth (Husserl, Adorno, Tillich and Badiou), and, consequently, in the devaluation of ethical norms and, therefore, of the very idea of subjecthood. This model specifies the needs of psychological conformism, which is the reverse side of the personal crisis. The existential model is an attempt to rehabilitate the ethics of truth in the theoretical (through the influence of philosophy) and applied meanings. The article focuses on the importance of transitioning from philosophical theory to the practice (existential, subjective) of life. The relevance of this topic is driven by the emphasis on the ethical dimension of psychology, as there is a growing need to understand the significance of the so-called status of truth, which, according to the author, has a therapeutic effect. The author’s personal professional experience confirms the effectiveness of relying on philosophy and ethics in psychological practice. The recent demand for an existentially oriented strategy highlights the need for a scientific foundation for this topic.