Rules and Code of Conduct:
The International Positive Psychology Association (“IPPA”) is a global community of members; scholars, academics, researchers, practitioners, coaches, enthusiasts, and students who help advance and move the field of positive psychology forward. We strive to create an environment that welcomes, serves, and effectively utilizes the diverse experience, perspectives and voluntary contributions of our members and Users.
IPPA values collaboration, connection, diversity (in race, class, gender, expertise and cultural perspective), and ensuring the highest-quality scientific research and research-based applications.
The following guidelines are meant to establish a guideline for conducting oneself with professional integrity and an expectation for member behavior when using this Site (www.ippanetwork.org) or any of the websites and digital assets managed, operated, supported, or maintained by IPPA.
• Be respectful. IPPA members are a diverse group of people from various professional disciplines and countries from around the world. In all discourse, show respect to your fellow colleagues for the diversity of experience in our international global community.
• Respect intellectual property. Refrain from reproducing or making copies of proprietary content shared through IPPA properties. Do not distribute such content through print, digital, broadcast, social media channels, and other communications channels except when otherwise indicated, or without the express written consent of the owner(s). When referencing work, be sure to use the appropriate citations. See our Terms of Use for more details.
• Respect diversity. In your work, be aware of and respect cultural, individual, professional and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status, and consider these factors when working with members of such groups. Any defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, bullying, or offensive behavior or language is strictly prohibited. In accordance with the Terms of Use and our governing documents and policies, IPPA reserves the right to suspend or terminate membership and all current and future access to this Site and to other IPPA related digital assets and media properties for anyone who violate these rules.
• Be accurate. Seek to promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness in the science, teaching, and practice of positive psychology.
• Be just. Exercise reasonable judgment and take precautions to ensure that their potential biases, the boundaries of their competence, and the limitations of their expertise do not lead to or condone unjust practices
• Be transparent. Declare the limits of your competence and be transparent about your credentials. Explicitly inform your clients, colleagues, peers, and others of the nature, scope and limits of your professional education, practice and credentials.
• Adhere to professional standards. Practice in accordance with all statutes, regulations, licenses, and standards of professional practice, conduct and guidelines, as stipulated by respective professional license-granting agencies.
• Adhere to high scientific standards. IPPA holds high scientific standards for the research it recognizes, endorses (as applicable), and/or highlights, as the case may be. Typically, research – be it innovative theoretical approaches, tested intervention models or basic research – should be published in a peer-reviewed journal for reference, review, recognition, and/or citing by You, others, or IPPA, as applicable.
• Adhere to high practitioner standards. Research-based applications of positive psychology and/or wellbeing science refers to the implementation of programs outside of a laboratory setting for the purpose of increasing individual, social, organizational, and/or global flourishing that are informed by peer-reviewed theoretical bases and findings from rigorous scientific inquiry. IPPA does appreciates that any and all Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) should consider the relevant scientific evidence, individuals’ needs (person-fit) and cultural context. Positive psychology applications that are shared and highlighted by You or others on this website or any of the IPPA related digital media, materials, Sites, or otherwise, should be accompanied by references to the science upon which it is based as well as evidence of its effectiveness, when possible.
• Non-Endorsement. IPPA members may NOT use their status as a member of IPPA or delegate, speaker, or an attendee at any IPPA related program or event to imply any kind of endorsement of themselves, their education, their practice or professionalism, or their work.
• Scope of Power. No IPPA member or affiliate, volunteer, or supporter may certify, license, or otherwise issue credentials or certifications on behalf of IPPA. No IPPA member or affiliate, volunteer, or supporter may enter into an agreement (financial, legal, marketing, program-related, or otherwise) on behalf of IPPA with any entity whatsoever, without the expressed prior written permission from IPPA’s Executive Director, which may require approval by the IPPA Board of Directors. No IPPA member or affiliate, volunteer, or supporter may represent IPPA to the media, or represent themselves as having any affiliation with IPPA, without the expressed permission from IPPA’s Executive Director, which may require approval from the IPPA Board of Directors. Any such actions are a direct violation of IPPA’s policies and may infringe on certain IPPA proprietary rights, licensing, trademarks, and other protected properties of IPPA; therefore, IPPA reserves the right to pursue any and all legal remedies available to protect the integrity of the IPPA brand, programs, products, and services, and otherwise, as the case may be.
• Conflict of Interest. Volunteers in IPPA will not knowingly hold, assume, or accept a position in which interests conflict with their commitment or role in the performance of any volunteer tasks related to IPPA. In the event that a volunteer might have a financial or professional conflict of interest, he or she must disclose the conflict of interest and recuse him or herself from such activity. Volunteers must not benefit financially from their role with IPPA, or use their position for self-promotion (see Scope of Power above).
• Membership confidentiality. Members may not use, distribute, market, promote, or sell member information (e.g. member emails) for personal gain. Information may be used for IPPA membership and Division leadership purposes only, subject to the rules, guidelines and policies of IPPA.
• Respect. Use of all defamatory, abusive, bullying, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials or language in association with an IPPA website, digital asset, or other IPPA related property or event are strictly prohibited.
• Termination of Membership. Subject to our governing documents and the Terms of Use for this website and other digital assets or media, websites, or otherwise managed, maintained, supported, or used by us, IPPA reserves the right to suspend or terminate membership and the use of the Site or IPPA services for anyone who violates any of these rules.
