Treason or Reason? Psychoanalytical Insights on Whistleblowing

Abstract

This paper critically examines and reviews the dominant and mainstream perspectives and literature on whistleblowing and offers a new approach to understanding this complex phenomenon using a psychoanalytical lens. Almost all studies on whistleblowing perceive it as an ethical, moral or altruistic act on the part of the whistleblower and overlook the whistleblower's subjectivity in question. This paper offers an in‐depth review of the literature to explore this and addresses the emergent but nascent discourses on whistleblower's subjectivity, offering an alternative perspective suggesting that not all whistleblowers may be prompted by moral compulsion or desire to speak truth to power. It suggests that underlying emotional and unconscious dynamics such as narcissism, in particular narcissistic rage, disillusionment and a sense of betrayal, can be possible factors in deciding to ‘blow the whistle’. Furthermore, the concept of psychological defences and defence mechanisms is discussed in depth and is used to illustrate the dynamics above. In doing so, this paper draws upon extant literatures to challenge and shift existing paradigms on normative whistleblowing literature, offering novel and significant theoretical contributions and an alternative strategic platform for new directions in research and practice.

Reward Expectancy and External Whistleblowing: Testing the Moderating Roles of Public Service Motivation, Seriousness of Wrongdoing, and Whistleblower Protection

“…In some cases, whistleblowers also lose their home and experience strain on their marriage (Alford, 2007). Moreover, whistleblowers must be ready to have their personal backgrounds scrutinized, to have their charges challenged as falsehood, and to face the accusation of undermining their organizations (Howse & Daniels, 1995), which often leads to guilt and humiliation (Jalan, 2020). Whistleblowers must also be prepared to go through protracted court procedures and to bear legal costs as well as the burden of providing convincing proof (Kenny & Fotaki, 2023).…”

How Do Indonesian Listed Companies Disclose Information Related to Whistleblowing?

“…Some regard whistle-blowers as heroes because whistleblowing reflects moral responsibility or moral concerns for others' wellbeing and this act is motivated by conscience. On the other hand, a whistle-blower can also be perceived as a traitor since it involved selfish concerns of personal gain, glory, or fame (Dungan et al, 2019;Jalan, 2020;O'Sullivan & Ngau, 2014). Concerning the problem of whom the wrongdoings should be reported, individual may blow the whistle internally or externally.…”

Are narcissists always bad apples? The relationship between employee narcissism and creative deviance

“…While employee narcissism is generally considered socially undesirable, the recent dark personality literature has called for studying narcissism from a more complex, multidimensional perspective ( Fox and Freeman, 2011 ; Jonason et al, 2014 ). There is a small but growing body of literature suggesting that narcissism can also have a potential benefit for organizations by way of some constructive aspects (such as innovation behavior, prosocial behavior, and whistle blowing; Resick et al, 2009 ; Gerstner et al, 2013 ; Konrath et al, 2016 ; Zhang et al, 2017 ; Jalan, 2020 ).…”