Why Groups Shun Truth Tellers

Dynamics of Whistle Blowing
Daniel Goleman
Vital Lies - Simple Truths, The Psychology of Self Deception

• Blowing the whistle is probably the most dangerous thing anyone can do
  
• Group protection is given in exchange for member's tacit and essential understanding to go-along... to not to notice "certain things"
  
• To Whistle-blow, is to bring up the thing that is not to be paid attention to.... to violate that essential understanding
  
• Organization, even if not following their own mission or goals, will retaliate against Whistle-blower for making this fact known.
  
• Whistle-blowers are typically most loyal to the mission of the group and its ideals, which is why they whistle-blow in the first place.
  

Full Interview can be seen at:
http://www.theopenmind.tv/searcharchive_episode_output.asp?id=574

Following is transcript from Youtube Interview excerpt.

Heffner: But you know, its interesting that you say the modern day hero is the truth-teller, the investigative reporter, the whistle-blower. Are you really sure that blowing the whistle brings great praise to an individual?

Goleman: No. Blowing the whistle is probably the most dangerous thing anyone can do. And the reason is that when people joins a group, the tacit understanding, remember, is here's what we don't notice here. Along with that is And in return for you not noticing, that is for only paying attention to what ostensible what were about, you're one of us, you're okay. To whistle-blow, to bring up the thing that is not to be paid attention to is to violate that essential understanding. The universal consequence to whistle-blowers is that they get booted out. They get demoted, they get transferred, they get fired, lots of research shows us. In fact, its worse in government than in private industry. But about seventy to eighty percent of whistle-blowers suffer immensely. And on the other hand, the paradox is that the whistle-blower, it turns out, is highly loyal to the organization. He's not doing it or shes not doing it because they want to get someone, but because they feel the basic mission, the higher ideal of whats going on Is being violated and they cant live with that. So their own ethics drive them to tell the truth. But the paradox is that the organization feels betrayed and angry and retaliates