The Ethical Professor

Thinking well and doing good in academia.

Mitchell M. Handelsman Ph.D.

The Past, Present, and Future of Psychology

Reflections of a new department chair taking stock at the start of a new year.

Teaching with Reasons

Professors talk a lot about the importance of students knowing what they want to get out of college. Professors should also have reasons for their teaching decisions.

The Myth of the Good Night's Sleep

Most of us have probably heard, or said, some variation of this:  “I’m going to do the right thing because I’ll sleep better at night.” That may not be true!

Is the Socratic Method Unethical?

Let’s take a look at the Socratic Method through the lens of ethics.

Plausibility Does Not Equal Proof

One mistake I’ve encountered frequently in student papers is the assumption that because an argument is plausible, it is true. Here's how to spot the plausibility fallacy.

3 More Ways to Teach Ethics

I believe that ethics can be taught, but the method is key. Here are three active learning techniques that lend themselves well to teaching graduate students.

Should Psychotherapy Trainees Be Forced into Psychotherapy?

One of the oldest traditions in psychotherapy training is to undergo mandatory personal psychotherapy. Let’s take a look at some ethical issues involved.

Stopping Too Soon

When people stop thinking too soon, they are more prone to learn less, make bad ethical decisions, teach badly, and experience a myriad of other bad outcomes.

The Case of the Reluctant Recommender

Here's a case to ponder of a difficult interaction between a professor and student. See what you think.

Inspiration Point

Sternberg wrote: "My entire future trajectory changed, as a result of just one teacher."

Professional Self-Care to Prevent Ethics Violations

Little is known about the association between physician stress and ethical errors like boundary violations or lack of professionalism in the workplace.

Real Data in Real News About Fake Science

How do we know that some journals are fake? One way to provide evidence would be to gather empirical data and that's just what several researchers did.

Two Quick Principles for Dealing With Students

Now is the time to bolster motivation by reminding myself of some important virtues.

Real News About Fake Science

The emails started a number of years ago, and have been appearing in my inbox more and more frequently. What's going on? Fake science.

Bad Justifications for Bad Behavior

Let's say a professional engages in unethical behavior. Here are six possible excuses (assuming the behavior did happen) that may not work so well: 1. Everybody does it....

A Quick Multiple-Choice Test Concerning Moral Courage

Yesterday I was sifting through the news (the real stuff, not fake), and found one story that struck me as a clear act of moral courage. I thought I’d see if you agree.

Human or Psychologist?

I have been exploring ways to help students think more critically about what they see and hear in the media, and to recognize flaws in their thinking about their own writing.

Don't Ask!

I’ve written about how professors might respond, or NOT respond, to student questions. Today I want discuss one kind of question professors shouldn’t ASK: GWOMM questions.

Designing Case Discussions: Timing is (Almost) Everything

Case discussions have been a staple of higher education for a long time. Today, I want to explore the time frame in the case example itself.

One Recipe for Clearly Unethical Performance

I spend a lot of time helping students and colleagues develop the skills they need to think and behave more ethically. Today, I want to look at the other side of the coin.

Obstacles to Practicing Professional Ethics in Real Life

Why might well-educated professionals take ethical missteps?

Coarse Evaluations of Course Evaluations

Some student complaints seem to represent a fundamental mismatch between what students and faculty expect and what they experience in their courses.

Ethics on Vacation

All situations have ethical dimensions; I hope my students become more attuned to the ethical issues that permeate their professional lives. My example comes from my vacation...

Students Can Learn a Lot From Current Events

News items about human behavior make wonderful teaching devices. It doesn’t take much to stimulate thoughtful discussion about the complexities involved in human behavior.

The Ethics of Sharing Client Stories

How can I use my clients as examples in my teaching, while honoring my clients’ confidentiality and therapeutic experience? What are the ethical limits to telling clients' stories?

Reading With Purpose, or Purposes

My university hired a PR firm to help sell us. The major slogan they came up with was “Learn with Purpose.” I was cynical at first, but it turns out to be a pretty good principle!

Am I Ready to Teach?

It’s the night before classes, and all through my brain all I could think of was the emotional strain…

Take Note! Taking Notes

It seems obvious that motivated students will take notes without being encouraged. But how shall we encourage students to bring notebooks to class and actually take notes?

Donald Trump, the University, and Meanings of Fairness

Celebrities help me teach. Not deliberately, but their actions and words often help me make important points to my students. Now, it’s Donald Trump’s turn.

Lessons From Teaching About Our Latest Scandal in Psychology

Like other momentous events in psychology, the torture scandal left a permanent mark on our field. There are profound consequences, and the dominoes haven't stopped falling.

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