2/6
KotaskiaEsco
Discussion 11
COLLAPSE
I noticed that I am an empathetic person. Before taking this class, in my mind, I wanted nothing to do with being called on as an expert for the prosecution in a death penalty case. This all comes from the fact that I feel bad about situations that aren’t mine or because I always try to see the good in someone myself. One topic that showed my bias was week seven—the death penalty. I still don’t believe in it, but I must adhere to guidelines. Another topic that I would have a problem with regarding empathy bias is divorce and Child Custody. This seems to be a topic not discussed much in forensic psychology. It’s like who you side with, what makes one parent a better fit than another, and why. Children are innocent little people, and doing right by them could weigh on me.
If my empathy is not managed, I think specialty guideline 1.02 would be violated, and Ethical Principle 3.05 could be at risk because I often want to help people. I can be biased, and I must remain unbiased when working in this field. I say Ethical Principle 3.05 because I could develop a friendship with either parent because of what I have heard. To manage my bias and maintain integrity, I will think about the literature. The forensic literature often cautions the examiners to carefully manage their emotional reactions to defendants as a way in which to preserve the integrity of the evaluation (Mulay et al., 2018).
One strategy I can think of is personal decision-making. Managing their patterns in terms of asking oneself if they are being biased. This strategy represents a behavioral marker forensic clinicians could use to examine their potential biases rather than introspection (Neal & Brodsky, 2016).
References
Mulay, A. L., Mivshek, M., Kaufman, H., & Waugh, M. H. (2018). The ethics of empathy: Walking a fine line in forensic evaluations. Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice, 18(4), 320–336. https://doi.org/10.1080/24732850.2018.1490682
Neal, T. M., & Brodsky, S. L. (2016). Forensic psychologists’ perceptions of bias and potential correction strategies in forensic mental health evaluations. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 22(1), 58–76. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000077
2 days ago
Keelie Wimberley
Wk 11
COLLAPSE
● Describe what you have noticed about your empathy-bias as you have explored the various topics included in this course. (e.g., what topics elicited the most empathy-bias, what topics elicited the least?)
○ I didn’t find myself being particularly bothered or leaning strongly towards one side when it came to discussions about some infringement of rights in efforts to decrease acts of terrorism or conspiracy or civil commitment. This is mostly because I could understand the arguments for both sides regarding these topics. However, during the discussion around use of force, especially in light of recent news, and hate crimes, I found a strong pull to one side and even after reading colleagues posts, found myself trying to poke holes in their argument. The primary topics where I find it difficult to see both sides surround race and sexual/gender orientation.
● Explain how management of your empathy-bias could empower you to contribute more effectively to social change.
○ An important thing to take into consideration when trying to decrease empathy bias is that you have to acknowledge it before combating it. It inspires more self awareness, self assessment, and more cognisance and intentional actions in efforts to combat it. However, there may be specific things that are not able to be combated. In particular for myself, issues surrounding race are something I have trouble being unbiased about. As a black woman, if I were asked to do an evaluation of competency for execution on someone who was being executed involving a hate crime against black individuals, I would find it very difficult to remain unbiased. I could ask for consultation and separate myself by only looking at the facts of the case and the evaluation in efforts to maintain objectivity. However, a case like that is more likely to inspire me to advocate for/participate in things like the BLM movement or working on advocating for policy changes in my work regarding equal treatment for people of color as either clientele or employees.
