Ethical Issues in Work Groups Essay

Therapeutic pressure, unlike undue pressure, enables members of a group to help each other discover their individual answers without pressurizing them to accept the answers deemed appropriate by the group. Group thinking enhances unanimity, mental efficiency and moral judgement that are appropriate which each person (William, 1995). In the first five sessions, the leader acted ethically since he provided ample time to explore the views, fears, expectations and interpersonal relationships of the members. He also told them about the risks of potential changes that may occur after the session and assessed their preparedness. However, the leader failed the ethical test in the sixth session by asking Kevin to develop romantic feelings towards Lydia yet she was not his partner (Jameson, 2001). Kevin had already confessed that it was against his religious convictions and commitment on monogamous relationship. He failed to respect Kevin’s values and imposed his own belief on the client. If I was Ryan’s co-leader, I would have delayed the role-play experiment until such a time when we could have gathered enough information that does not compromise the values of each individual. In addition, giving Kevin an ultimatum to complete his assignment was undue pressure since it conflicted with his values and the duties he was given (Herlihy & Corey, 2005). Although a group leader might have been faced with the dilemma of identifying personal issues that do not conflict with other members, he had to perform a thorough background check to get enough information that could have enabled him to make informed decisions (McKee, 2004). This would have enabled him to respect the cultural diversity present within group members. To develop Kevin’s assertiveness, I would have invited Hannah and coached Kevin on how he ought to treat her in his first assignment. If this does not prove effective, Kevin’s partner should then be included in the counselling sessions so that the leader can evaluate the source of the problem in the relationship. References Herlihy, B. , Corey, G. (2005). ACA Ethical Standards Casebook. Alexandria, VA, American Counselling Association Jameson, R. (2001). Foundations of Ethical Practice in Psychology. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates McKee, L. (2004). A Historical Perspective Approach for Practicing Managers to Improve Ethics. Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 9, p. 22-24 William, G. (1995). Ethical and legal Issues in Group Counselling. Journal of Ethics and Behavior, Vol. 5, p. 10