"Something odd happened on our team five years ago that I now witness in many workplaces across the nation. One of our team members (we'll call her Dina) turned in a project that was so poor, her supervisor met with her to offer some corrective feedback. Dina wouldn't have it. Her reaction stumped me. She called out her supervisor on his correction, claiming she'd been attacked. Then, she claimed her supervisor wasn't psychologically safe."
"As a manager, Tara witnessed consistent unacceptable work from a young colleague. In fact, Rob's level of work was so poor, Tara knew it would be a disservice if she didn't meet with him to offer some constructive advice. She was careful to be clear yet restorative as she spoke. Tara wanted Rob to know she believed in him and offered her counsel, knowing he was capable of more. Rob responded with, "You just triggered my PTSD. I need psychological safety.""
Two employees responded to corrective feedback by framing ordinary supervisory critique as psychological harm, one claiming to be 'attacked' and the other invoking PTSD and a need for psychological safety. Psychological safety originally means belief that no one will be punished or humiliated for speaking up and encourages risk-taking without shame. The term's familiarity has led to misuse as a shield against hard feedback, turning it into a catchphrase to avoid performance conversations. A broader shift toward questioning authority morphed into distrust, enabling the weaponization of safety language and complicating leaders' ability to coach and correct.
Read at Psychology Today
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