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Philosophy
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Harvard University l
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! IMPORTANT ! each response should be at least 100 words in length and
contribute to the discussion in progress while being substantive in nature. This means
they should go beyond simple agreement or disagreement with classmates’ posts to
advance the discussion. Each post must include in-text citations from at least 2 sources
found in the references attachment and a reference list (APA formatting).
DISCUSSION POST 1:
Alex posted:
What kind of personal or psychological characteristics does one have to have to dissent from a group?
Dissenting from a group often involves tough decisions and a strong will especially when one lacks an ally. One of the
major characteristics of a dissenter is disloyalty or disengagement from the group. As pointed out by Jetten and
Hornsey (2014), individuals who are less committed to the group often conform less as compared to committed
members. Besides that, the dissenting individual may be genuinely concerned about the group thus dissenting to
protect or promote the integrity of the group. Further, one may be exhibiting moral rebellion by dissenting, and this is
attributed to one’s convictions gaining primacy over the norms within the group. Most importantly, the individual might
only be desiring to express difference or uniqueness from the rest of the group members thus choosing to dissent
from the group (Jetten & Hornsey, 2014). Nonetheless, it is also possible for a member to base his or her decision on
an attached reward or gain to dissenting thus choosing to dissent from the group.
What role might diversity play in dissent? For example, are minorities more likely to dissent?
Diversity usually plays an important role in the decisions a person makes, and aspects such as cultural diversities can
encourage dissent. Primarily, one might be inclined to believe that their decisions are not influenced by the prevailing
diversity, but it is relatively common for people to conform or dissent from a group based on the differences and
similarities they have with the other group members. Indeed, minorities are more likely to dissent as they may be
used to believing that decisions within the group give an unfair advantage or favor the majority thus pushing them into
dissenting.
Is loyal dissent somehow better than whistle-blowing, and on what ethical basis, or standard would you
evaluate this point?
No. Loyal dissent is not somehow better than whistle-blowing. On the contrary, whistle-blowing appears to be noble
as it is not as self-serving as loyal dissent (Module 7, 2021). As denoted in the Module notes, it is questionable
whether one can be effective in changing a bad policy by remaining loyal to the group, and it is evident that in most
cases the policy is never changed when this approach is employed. However, whistle-blowing presents an ethical
perspective as it seeks to address something bad that would otherwise occur, and in most cases, it is effective in
preventing serious harm to others (Davis, 1996).
References:
-Davis, M. (1996). Whistle-blowing: Some Paradoxes of Whistle-Blowing. Business & Professional Ethics Journal, 15.
https://philosophia.uncg.edu/media/phi361-metivier/readings/Davis-Paradoxes%20of%20Whistle-Blowing.pdf
-Jetten, J. & Hornsey, M. J. (2014). Deviance and Dissent in Groups. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 65:46185. doi:
10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115151
-Module 7. (2021). Diversity, Accountability and Dissent from Within.
Brandon Washing Replied:
Alex,
Thank you for your post this week. I agree with you that it takes a strong-willed person to dissent against an
organization especially if they are alone in their opposition. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on diversity and
dissenting minorities. You make some relevant points about how cultural diversity can play a role in minority
dissension. Do you believe that many minorities believe organizations have systemic issues that allow unfair
advantages for majority members? Which method of dissension do you think is the most ethical? I believe most
forms of dissent are vital and must be protected to maintain public trust in the National Security arena; however,
depending on the severity of the issue and the risk tolerance of the dissenter will determine which dissent is most
effective. In a perfect world, loyal dissent is the most ethical; however, whistle-blowing within an organization has
gotten rid of sexual harassers and fraud, waste, and abuse scandals.

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DISCUSSION:
Hello Alex,
Great post! No doubt, dissenting often entails making tough decisions. Dissenting is highly connected with
disloyalty and even disengagement from one group. Dissent is not a new phenomenon in organizational
leadership, and as outlined by Reed (2015), it is an inherent element of good followership. Loyal dissenters
should be tolerated, and dissent should be viewed as part of healthy leadership. Indeed, diversity and
dissent are entirely related, and when diverse communities continue to communicate with each other,
dissent is likely to manifest. I agree that racially minority groups are likely to dissent because of unequal
and unfair representation in decision-making. On an ethical basis, whistle-blowing is far much better than
loyal dissent. As illustrated in Module 7 (2021), whistleblowers are deemed noble and not self-serving like
loyal dissenters.
References
Module 7. (2021). Diversity, Accountability and Dissent from Within.
Reed, G. E. (2015). Expressing loyal dissent: Moral considerations from the literature on
followership. Public Integrity, 17(1), 5-18.

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! IMPORTANT ! each response should be at least 100 words in length and contribute to the discussion in progress while being substantive in nature. This means they should go beyond simple agreement or disagreement with classmates’ posts to advance the discussion. Each post must include in-text citations from at least 2 sources found in the references attachment and a reference list (APA formatting). DISCUSSION POST 1: Alex posted: What kind of personal or psychological characteristics does one have to have to dissent from a group? Dissenting from a group often involves tough decisions and a strong will especially when one lacks an ally. One of the major characteristics of a dissenter is disloyalty or disengagement from the group. As pointed out by Jetten and Hornsey (2014), individuals who are less committed to the group often conform less as compared to committed members. Besides that, the dissenting individual may be genuinely concerned about the group thus dissenting to protect or promote the integrity of the group. Further, one may be exhibiting moral rebellion by dissenting, and this is attributed to one’s convictions gaining primacy over the norms within the group. Most importantly, the individual might only be desiring to express difference or uniqueness from the rest of the group members thus choosing to dissent from the group (Jetten & Hornsey, 2014). Nonetheless, it is also possible for a member to base his or her decision on an attached reward or gain to dissen ...
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