These answers draw in part from “It's Not UNETHICAL You Just Don't Like It: Ethics, Morals & Preferences” (The Daily BA), and extend it with peer-reviewed research from our library of 27,900+ ABA research articles. Clinical framing, BACB ethics code references, and cross-links below are synthesized by Behaviorist Book Club.
View the original presentation →Ethics refers to the specific standards and principles codified in the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (2022). These are enforceable standards that define the boundaries of professional conduct. Morals are broader beliefs about right and wrong shaped by culture, religion, upbringing, and personal experience. They influence how we feel about things but are not universally enforceable. Preferences are individual tastes, styles, and clinical inclinations that do not involve right or wrong. A clinical decision can conflict with your morals or preferences without being unethical, and recognizing these distinctions is essential for productive professional discourse.
Apply the three-question test. First, can you identify a specific standard in the BACB Ethics Code that has been violated? Second, would a reasonable panel of behavior analysts with full knowledge of the situation agree this constitutes a violation? Third, is your discomfort about the action itself or about the fact that it differs from your preferred approach? If you can identify a specific code violation and reasonable professionals would agree, you likely have a genuine ethical concern. If your discomfort stems primarily from the decision being different from yours, it is more likely a preference difference.
Mislabeling creates multiple harms. It damages the reputation and career of the accused practitioner, erodes trust within professional relationships and organizations, burdens ethics committees and licensing boards with non-violation complaints, discourages clinical innovation and independent judgment, creates hostile professional environments, and dilutes the meaning of the word unethical so that genuine violations may not receive the attention they deserve. Over time, it contributes to a culture of fear rather than a culture of professional growth and collaboration.
Respond calmly and with precision. Ask the colleague to identify the specific BACB Ethics Code standard they believe has been violated. Share your clinical reasoning and the evidence base supporting your decision. If the colleague cannot identify a specific code violation, gently suggest that the disagreement may be one of clinical preference rather than ethics. Invite further professional dialogue to understand each other's perspectives. If the accusation persists or becomes formal, document your clinical reasoning thoroughly and consult with a colleague or ethics expert. Avoid becoming defensive or retaliatory.
Absolutely. Many situations in behavior-analytic practice exist in gray zones where reasonable professionals may disagree about whether an ethical standard has been violated. The BACB Ethics Code's core principles are intentionally broad, and their application to specific situations requires interpretation. In these gray areas, the appropriate response is consultation, dialogue, and reflective practice rather than definitive pronouncements. When the ethical status of a situation is genuinely ambiguous, peer consultation with experienced colleagues and, if warranted, consultation with the BACB itself can provide guidance.
Social media platforms encourage quick reactions, public declarations, and engagement-driven controversy. A nuanced clinical disagreement that might be resolved through private professional dialogue becomes a public ethics accusation when posted online. Limited context, confirmation bias from like-minded followers, and the impossibility of presenting full case details in a social media post all contribute to the escalation of preference disagreements into perceived ethical violations. Practitioners should be extremely cautious about making ethical judgments about colleagues based on social media posts and should default to private communication for professional concerns.
Supervisors can model the distinction by being explicit about their own reasoning. When discussing a clinical scenario, a supervisor might say this is my preference but other approaches would also be ethical, or this is where I see a genuine code violation, specifically Code X.XX. Present case studies that illustrate the difference between ethical violations and preference differences, and facilitate discussions where supervisees practice identifying which category a scenario falls into. Encourage supervisees to cite specific codes when they believe something is unethical and to reframe when they realize their concern is preference-based.
File a formal complaint when you have identified a specific, clear violation of the BACB Ethics Code that poses a risk to clients, supervisees, or the public, and when informal resolution is either inappropriate or has been attempted without success. Have a professional conversation when the issue involves a difference in clinical approach, a gray area of interpretation, a concern that might be based on incomplete information, or a situation that could be resolved through dialogue. Code 1.11 generally recommends attempting informal resolution first when it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Intellectual humility is the recognition that your knowledge and perspective are limited and that others may have valid views that differ from yours. In the context of ethics versus preferences, intellectual humility manifests as the willingness to consider that a clinical decision you disagree with may be legitimate rather than automatically labeling it unethical. It involves recognizing that your preferred approach is not the only ethically acceptable approach, that your interpretation of the Ethics Code may not be the only valid one, and that professional growth requires engaging with diverse perspectives rather than dismissing them.
Yes. The BACB Ethics Code does not address every possible moral concern that might arise in professional practice. A practitioner might engage in conduct that many people would consider morally problematic but that does not violate any specific code standard. In these situations, the appropriate response depends on the nature of the concern. Professional dialogue, organizational policy changes, advocacy for code revisions, and personal boundary-setting are all appropriate responses to moral concerns that fall outside the scope of the current Ethics Code. Mislabeling these concerns as ethical violations is not helpful.
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It's Not UNETHICAL You Just Don't Like It: Ethics, Morals & Preferences — The Daily BA · 1 BACB Ethics CEUs · $24.99
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239 research articles with practitioner takeaways
223 research articles with practitioner takeaways
195 research articles with practitioner takeaways
1 BACB Ethics CEUs · $24.99 · The Daily BA
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.