The American Psychological Association's (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct can be compared to the formal structure of a constitution.  It is structured with an introduction, a preamble, general principles and specific ethical standards. In the Introduction the document’s intent, organization, procedural considerations, of the Ethics Codes are discussed. The Preamble and General Principles are the goals that should guide psychologists toward the highest ideals of psychology. The actual standards are written in generalizations.  If they are ignored or not followed as ethical law by the psychologists they can lose their license to practice.  The standards are:

“Standard 1: Resolving Ethical Issues

Standard 2: Competence

Standard 3: Human Relations

Standard 4: Privacy and Confidentiality

Standard 5: Advertising and Other Public Statements

Standard 6: Record Keeping and Fees

Standard 7: Education and Training

Standard 8: Research and Publication

Standard 9: Assessment

Standard 10: Therapy”