Dear Graduate Research Advisor:
I am researching a military academy where the Comondant granted me
permission and access to observe recruits in the academy program. My
primary focus of the study is the induction process for recruits, and so far,
I have immersed myself into the environment, so there is little reactivity
by the staff or recruits (Jackson, 2018). Recently, I observed behaviors by
the recruits that are somewhat concerning to me, and I need guidance to
make ethical decisions about the behaviors I observed.
Last week, two staff members were addressing a recruit, and the staff
member's behavior appeared to be severe bullying. During my
observations, I have observed stressed-induce situations, which seemed
appropriate to challenge the recruits in certain conditions. The incident
last week was different and presented a possible ethical dilemma. The
staff members' actions focused on the recruit's specific personality and
gender-based physical traits, not her performance. In my opinion, this
type of bullying behavior appeared to be discriminatory and not a stress-
induced technique to prepare the recruit for military service.
According to the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
section 3.1 (Unfair Discrimination), psychologists do not engage in
discriminatory actions during work-related activities. By remaining silent
on my observations, I may be condoning the possible discriminatory
behavior I observed. Section 3.4a and 3.4b (Avoiding Harm) also require a
psychologist to avoid foreseeable harm to research participants and avoid
participating in degrading behavior toward the research participant. This
side of the dilemma appears to be straightforward; however, the other
side of the coin may not be as clear.
If I report the staff members that I observed, I may cause a high level of
reactivity, which may transfer to recruits, thereby jeopardizing my
research. I possibly observed most static behaviors in recruits, but I still
have a significant portion of action items on my checklist (Jackson, 2018).
I believe my research will end without completing my checklist, and I am
concerned my ethical duty is directly conflicted with my commitment to
conduct this research.
Based on my ethical duty, I propose discussing my observations with the
Commandant and allowing the military academy to resolve the issue
between the recruit and staff members. This action may jeopardize my
research but appears to be aligned with the Ethical Principles of
Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Another option may be to talk to the
staff members and request they accompany me to the Commandant to
explain their side of the story. I may reduce reactivity by confronting the
staff members and allowing them to participate in the disclosure—this
action may also compromise my research.
I appreciate your consideration of my dilemma, and I await your guidance
before I take action.
Jackson. (2018). Custom MindTap Reader, Instant Access for Jackson,
Research Methods and Statistics, 5th edition
