Business Biases, The Concept of Discrimination, ACA and NAADA Code of Ethics

Social and Cultural Diversity
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Part 1: Personal Biases
Biases are inherent in any human being. While some people may argue that they do not have any personal biases, closer examination of their history can reveal that they do have such biases. Interestingly, one can have some biases towards people of different cultural backgrounds without even being aware of the same. In this regard, scholars contend that cultural bias is a phenomenon of subconsciously assuming that one's own culture is superior to others while judging other cultures from that standpoint. Cultural bias can make an individual to present or portray other cultures as ‘foreign' or ‘unusual' and different from his or her culture. The implication of this is that one starts his or her own culture as the normal and best culture while disregarding other cultures. For instance, I have a personal bias towards gay people in the sense that I do not believe that I can work with them. This bias originates from by a biblical belief that God created Adam and Eve rather than Adam and Steve (Nelson, 2009: Genesis 1:26-30). My personal bias towards gay people may be a challenge to me as a therapist in various aspects. First, as a therapist, I am expected to serve all my clients without any form of discrimination. However, I may end up discriminating against gay patients. Additionally, the bias can hinder me from collaborating with gay therapists and hence hindering effective team work. In order to overcome my personal bias, I have resolved to respect everybody irrespective of their sexual orientation or cultural background. By doing so, I have embraced diversity both in the workplace and the society at large.
In addition, I have experienced some form of discrimination. Particularly, my father got hurt during the 1960s, while working in a factory. As a rule, my father was to be compensated just like other employees for the injuries he sustained while working. However, he was not compensated just like the white employees who were working in the same factory. The factory was owned by a white man while my father was black. A closer examination of this incident reveals that my father was discriminated against by the white employee because of his skin color. In other words, my father experienced racial discrimination. In a similar incident, the assassination of Martin Luther King had a negative impact on me. When he was assassinated, me and my fellow students went to one of the schools for the whites and beat up white children. This incident occurred because I had developed a negative stereotypical perception of the whites based on the racial discrimination my father had undergone in the white-owned factory. However, I have been interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds and I have come to appreciate the cultural diversity.
Part 2: The Concept of Racism/Discrimination
Racism is deeply rooted in our society. However, unlike the traditional racism, today's racism is not blatantly obvious. Instead, it is subtler and it is often expressed in day-to-day activities and conversations. It could manifest itself in various forms, including a simple question or comment. In thi...