The power to heal and harm

Key Insights

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  Research is never neutral; it is embedded within power structures and influences who is seen and heard.

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  Design research lacks formal ethical guardrails, unlike professions like social work or medicine, creating vulnerabilities.

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  The culture of urgency and speed in research often leads to extractive, performative practices that minimize harm.

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  Moral injury in research arises from systemic ethical failure, creating profound conflicts between values and work demands.

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  Minimizing or sanitizing harm enables institutions to avoid accountability while perpetuating cycles of ethical breaches.

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  Researchers can reclaim agency by setting personal ethical boundaries, advocating for care, and building supportive communities.

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  The RK Institute’s two loops model illustrates how old unethical research systems decline while trauma-informed approaches emerge.

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  Trauma-responsive research centers five principles: safety, transparency, co-creation, empowerment, and hope.

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  Slowing down research is a radical form of resistance prioritizing dignity, trust, and sustainability over speed.

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  Accountability and ethical frameworks must be integrated into organizational cultures, not left to individual researchers.

Notable Quotes