Abstract

Whistleblowers, from across the world, come from different backgrounds, ethnicity, cultures, nations, yet beyond this, they share common psychological factors which make them different from the mainstream community. They are cut out very differently and their ways of thinking, perceiving, and believing are fundamentally different, which propel them to speak up, despite knowing that the consequences might backfire. A lot of theories and studies have been developed and established regarding the psyche of someone who can muster up the courage to speak up, despite the repercussions. The following paper deals with the psyche of a whistleblower. It dives into answering the question, “what traits make a powerless personality speak up against authorities for their wrongs?”. This paper also talks about, Ed Snowden, a name that is always associated with 21st Century “whistleblowing”.

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