ETHICAL ISSUES ABOUT VIRTUAL PSYCHOLOGY SOFTWARES

Abstract

With the advent of new technologies, new ways of learning and providing care have emerged in the last twenty years. Recently, virtual psychology softwares have been developed. It is now possible to propose and use software giving the impression of dealing with a psychologist. These technologies combine video and audio recording systems, and avatar technology. The authors of this article propose to explain briefly these new technologies and to explore their ethical and epistemological stakes. These technologies imply, for example, a certain simplification, or even a reduction, of what is a clinical interview. Other more deontological aspects, such as the problem of professional secrecy and the clinical record, are to be discussed.