Blowing the Whistle on Harmful Behaviors at Work
When recovery coaches are hired by an organization, their role to act as a sort of whistleblower is more than implied. In many cases it's part of the interview process and the job description. They are told to "shake things up" and to point out flaws in the system. They are told that their lived experience is valuable and an asset in the effort to improve care within a system that has failed for decades.
A recent article in Psychology Today looks at some of the potential detrimental psychological and emotional effects brought on by a system that turns on whistleblowers when they try to do their job and point out the flaws in these systems.
We quickly find out that when you point out flaws in the system, the system fights back. After all, as the piece points out, "...it is much easier to shoot the messenger than address deeply institutionalized problems."
Here's a summary of the key points from the article:
Institutional Betrayal: The concept refers to the systemic issues within organizations that punish whistleblowers, often requiring a "bad follower" complicity and characterized by conformity, resistance to change, and DARVO tactics. In addition to the moral injury that occurs, in comparison to what may be perceived mistakenly as PTSD, which can have long lasting consequences.
Storytelling and Meaning: Humans construct life's meaning through narratives, which can create a sense of equilibrium when they make sense, even if they are unpleasant.
Whistleblower Trauma: Whistleblowers who expose wrongdoing often face "shattered assumptions" about the world's benevolence and their own worthiness, leading to serious professional and personal consequences.
Organizational Gaslighting: The article describes a scenario where a "change-maker" is hired to address workplace issues but ends up being gaslighted and pushed out by those in power, a process that induces anxiety and hopelessness.
The article also emphasizes the importance of acknowledging trauma, seeking therapy, and recognizing the long-term positive impact whistleblowers have on justice and community.
Instances of retaliation and bullying are far more prevalent that most of us would like to admit. In many cases the individual organizations do little or nothing about these incidents and it’s easy to assume, from the article, that this is fairly common behavior in healthcare, where the presence of recovery coaches is becoming more common. As the article states:
”Though institutional betrayal can occur within any organization, there are shared characteristics that make it more probable, including an intellectual culture of conformity, resistance to change, embedded prestige, the normalization of bullying behaviors, and the use of DARVO tactics, which stands for "Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender" (Harsey & Freyd, 2020; Parnitzke and Freyd, 2014).”
At some point, if we want these roles to succeed, outside organizations like DPH, HHS, BSAS, and even the Attorney General will need to step in and monitor these abuses, holding those responsible to account.
Other articles on this topic are listed below:
Moral Courage as the Antidote to Moral Injury
