Dear Graduate Research Advisor,
I hope this letter finds you doing well. I am in a dilemma and would like
your advice in regard to a current situation that is going on. I am currently
working on a study that is investigating the induction processes of military
training establishments. While conducting the study I witnessed two of the
staff severely bullying one of the new recruits. Though reporting the
bullying would interfere with the current study, and could jeopardize the
data collection and integrity of the study; I don’t feel as though I have any
other choice based on the bullying that was observed.
The advice that I am seeking from you is the way in which I should report
the behavior. According to the “Ethical Principles of Psychologist and Code
of Conduct” (APA, 2017) the very first principle, Beneficence and Non-
maleficence, states that psychologists strive to benefit and to do no harm
(2017). To ignore the behavior would not only being doing the individual
harm in this particular situation, but if this is a patterned behavior then
there will surely be more that will be, or have been harmed by this sort of
behavior.5
Not only does not reporting do harm, but it violates the trust of others that
are involved in research. Principle B: Fidelity and Responsibility, (APA,
2017) discusses establishing relationships of trust, and to be aware of the
responsibility that the psychologist has to the communities that they work
with. Reporting said behavior establishes and proves the trust that we
value the well being of the participants above the data.
My dilemma comes in whether I should approach the staff members
myself, or whether I should report it to the supervisors of the staff
members that were involved? Ethical standard 1.04 Informal Resolution of
Ethical Violations (APA,2017) specifically deals with when one psychologist
believes another psychologist has violated an ethical standard, they then
bring it to the attention of the individual. Though this situation is not
dealing with another psychologist, they are staff members of the
organization that this study is affiliated with. I believe that if I were to
address the staff members in a calm manner, and make them aware of
the ethical standards that bullying violates, and the repercussions that
could follow, the behavior might subside.5
On the other hand, ethical standard 1.05 Reporting Ethical Violations
(APA,2017) deals with reporting of violations that have caused substantial
harm or is not appropriate for an informal resolution. This is where there
seems to be a subjective line of whether this can be handled on the
individual level, or whether I need to contact their supervisors. I am
currently leaning in the direction of contacting their supervisors because I
don’t think confrontation, even if in a calm manner will be very effective in
helping the individual or stoping the pattern of behavior in the future.
Your advice is greatly respected and appreciated.5
Thank You
5
5
References
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical Principles of
Psychologists and Code of Conduct. https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index
