Stoicism and contemporary ethics of the profession of psychologist

Abstract

The interest of this article is to draw attention to two important scientific facts. In this case, it is about undertaking a scientific reflection on the views of the ancient Stoics and the modern assumptions of the ethics of the psychologist’s profession. Stoicism is understood as a philosophical direction assuming that virtue is understood as a life in accordance with the principles of reason and is the highest good. Stoicism can also be understood as a life attitude distinguished by spiritual balance and the ability to remain calm. The Stoics did not only preach ethical views. Metaphysical issues were also important in the doctrine of the Stoics. According to them, the whole world consists only of matter (materialistic monism). The third pillar of Stoicism was logic. The views of the Stoics have evolved over many centuries. In this context, three schools were created. The second part of the article is devoted to the specificity of the ethics of the profession of psychologist. The ethics of the profession of psychologist derives its assumptions from general ethics. In turn, detailed ethics was born from it. It was only from this that professional ethics was formed. Professional ethics of a psychologist can be expressed in the form of written norms or rules relating to how a psychologist should act in the moral and ethical aspect. A psychologist should be guided by such principles as: a) acting for the good and not harming the people with whom he works; b) fidelity and responsibility; c) honesty and integrity; d) justice; e) respect for human rights and human readiness. The third part of the article is comparative. It concerns the contemporary ethics of the profession of psychologist in the light of the main principles of Stoicism. The comparative analysis covered issues such as: a) everyday behavior; b) acting prudently and thoughtfully; c) character types; d) gratitude; e) life and death; f) will; g) kindness and h) change.