As an undercover FBI agent, I had to learn how to lie to people. This is ironic because if an agent is less than honest in their investigations or their behavior toward others, it’s a legitimate reason to be fired from the FBI.
I’d been raised to be honest with people and treat them with integrity. In part, those values persuaded me that a career as an FBI agent was my path forward. I knew I would need to work past the guilt I felt when misrepresenting myself to the subject of my investigation because deception is required in undercover work.
I didn’t know how to process my conflicting emotions at the time because I didn’t have the language to express it. As a result, I was experiencing moral injury, which happens when we face situations that violate our core values. Moral injury happens when there is a disconnect between the ethical principles we live by and the reality of what is required of us or what we are experiencing.
Moral injury is common in high-stakes situations, like those encountered by healthcare workers and soldiers, but it’s become more prevalent in the workforce as well. Moral injury is more widespread than people realize: it also extends to social workers, educators, and lawyers.
Employees are tired of hearing, “Do whatever it takes to get the job done” from their…
