Operational Psychology and National Security: An Ethics Casebook

by Mark A. Staal

Overview

This book offers a comprehensive guide to ethical decision-making for practitioners of operational psychology working in national security and defense.

The terrorist attacks of 9/11 led to the mass recruitment, training, and employment of psychologists to support national security, national defense and public safety initiatives. The result was a confluence of advances in the field, alongside highly controversial missteps and calls for greater guidance. This book aims to improve practitioners’ ability to recognize ethical dilemmas before they arise, assess the risks they present, and respond to them in a manner characterized by thoughtful engagement and virtuous behaviour. The work adopts an integrated approach, providing an holistic treatment of ethics and ethical decision-making. It begins with the establishment of a broad theoretical foundation of moral reasoning and ends with presentations of relevant rule-based codes, illustrative case studies, real-world contemporary issues and practical solutions to common ethical problems. The book is unique in its comprehensive ethics case analysis of operational psychology, and ethical dilemmas are presented both by issue and by practitioner core competencies. As such, it enables readers to easily cross-reference ethical dilemmas by the nature of the dilemma and by its context (where it is most like to occur).

This book will be essential reading for psychologists working in national security, national defense and public safety sectors, and of much interest to students of ethics and ethical decision-making.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040437520
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/26/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	236

About the Author

Mark A. Staal serves as a consultant to the National Academy of Sciences and is the owner of OSS Consulting, LLC, North Carolina. He is the co-author of Operational Psychology: A New Field to Support National Security and Public Safety (with S. Harvey, 2019).

Table of Contents

Introduction Part I: Foundations of Ethics and Ethical Decision-Making Chapter 1. Ethics and the Evolution of Moral Reasoning Chapter 2. Hazards of Human Decision-Making Chapter 3. Psychology’s Unifying Ethical Framework and Ethics Code Part II: Operational Psychology and National Security, Defense, and Public Safety Chapter 4. Operational Psychology Core Competencies Chapter 5. Professional Practice Guidelines for Operational Psychology Part III: Case Analysis and Ethical Dilemmas Chapter 6. Informed Consent and Confidentiality Chapter 7. Doing Harm Ethically? Chapter 8. Multiple Relationships and Dual Agency Chapter 9. Maintaining Boundaries of Competency Part IV: Future Ethical Challenges Chapter 10. Operational Psychology, AI, and the Next Ridgeline

Editorial Reviews

A penetrating yet accessible analysis of some of psychology’s most complex ethical issues. Though focused on Operational Psychology, Staal provides sound foundational guidance for psychologists in any applied specialty when thinking through difficult moral and ethical dilemmas.”

Thomas Grisso, Emeritus Professor, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, USA

“Mark Staal has not just provided an ethics casebook, but also an operational psychology primer, and a helpful companion for those navigating often-complicated situations. Not only will operational psychologists find the book useful, but also any psychologist who wants to know more about the ethics of delivering services in organizations.”

Rodney L. Lowman, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, USA

“Staal delivers a hands-on, must-read for both new and seasoned operational psychologists. Tackling the ethical nuances of the roles performed by psychologists in national security positions, Staal provides the conceptual framework, relevant guidelines, future challenges, and case understanding critical for the ethical practice of operational psychology.”

Carrie H. Kennedy, Aerospace Neuropsychologist, Navy Medicine Operational Training Command, USA

From the Publisher