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Mental Heath as a Weapon: Whistleblower Retaliation and Normative Violence

Author

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  • Kate Kenny

    (Queen’s University Belfast)

  • Marianna Fotaki

    (University of Warwick)

  • Stacey Scriver

    (NUI Galway)

Abstract

What form does power take in situations of retaliation against whistleblowers? In this article, we move away from dominant perspectives that see power as a resource. In place, we propose a theory of normative power and violence in whistleblower retaliation, drawing on an in-depth empirical study. This enables a deeper understanding of power as it circulates in complex processes of whistleblowing. We offer the following contributions. First, supported by empirical findings we propose a novel theoretical framing of whistleblower retaliation and the role of mental health, which draws upon poststructuralist psychoanalytic thinking. Specifically, we highlight how intra- and inter-psychic affective and ambivalent attachments to organizations influence the use of normative violence in cases of whistleblower retaliation. The second contribution is empirical and builds upon the existing literature on whistleblower retaliation by highlighting how organizations position whistleblower subjects as mentally unstable and unreliable individuals, to undermine their claims. We conclude by highlighting the implications of normative power for the outcomes of whistleblower struggles.

Suggested Citation

  • Kate Kenny & Marianna Fotaki & Stacey Scriver, 2019. "Mental Heath as a Weapon: Whistleblower Retaliation and Normative Violence," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(3), pages 801-815, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:160:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s10551-018-3868-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-018-3868-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Clément Dubreuil & Delphine Dion & Stéphane Borraz, 2023. "For the Love of the Game: Moral Ambivalence and Justification Work in Consuming Violence," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 186(3), pages 675-694, September.
    5. Kate Kenny & Marianna Fotaki, 2023. "The Costs and Labour of Whistleblowing: Bodily Vulnerability and Post-disclosure Survival," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(2), pages 341-364, January.

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