"Maureen's reactions make complete sense-both as a child and as an adult, she learned to stay guarded. Being alert likely protected her in harsh settings, and that deserves recognition. But there's also a toll: living in a state of high alert is exhausting. Bracing for criticism, decoding tone and word choice, and anticipating the next betrayal drains us physically and emotionally."
"Workplace adversity may show up as a single devastating event, like Maureen's, or as a long chain of smaller wounds, such as racist microaggressions or ongoing exclusion. By contrast, psychological safety is a concept introduced by Dr. Amy Edmondson of Harvard Business School. It describes a workplace where everyone, no matter their role, feels free of fear-fear of humiliation, retaliation, or punishment. Psychological safety allows people to share rough ideas, ask "naïve" questions, and admit mistakes without backlash."
Workplace adversity can arise from a single traumatic incident or from a prolonged series of smaller harms such as microaggressions and exclusion. Betrayal and personal attack on character generate distrust and hypervigilance that may protect but become emotionally and physically exhausting. Constantly decoding tone, bracing for criticism, and anticipating betrayal deplete resources. Psychological safety is an environment where people at any role feel free from fear of humiliation, retaliation, or punishment. Psychological safety permits sharing tentative ideas, asking basic questions, and admitting mistakes without backlash. Safety behaviors like overexplaining or overmonitoring often backfire and undermine genuine safety.
Read at Psychology Today
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