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Journals / Türk Hemşireler Derneği Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 7 Sayı: 2

Bending Before Power: A Review on Power Relations, Ethical Dilemmas, and the Culture of Silence in Academia

Gücün Karşısında Eğilip Bükülenler: Akademide Güç İlişkileri, Etik İkilemler ve Sessizlik Kültürü Üzerine Bir Derleme

Sevgisun Kapucu(HACETTEPE ÜNİVERSİTESİ, HEMŞİRELİK FAKÜLTESİ)0000-0003-3908-3846
Pages
129–142
Publication Date
2026-08-31
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The article concludes that power relations in academia affect not only individual behavior but also the overall ethical climate, scientific productivity, and institutional sustainability.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Although academic institutions are traditionally regarded as spaces where knowledge is freely produced and critical thinking is nurtured, they are not immune to the influence of power, authority, and hierarchy.
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Key Findings & Data:These dynamics shape institutional culture and individual behaviors, exerting a profound impact on the ethical climate.
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Conclusion & Impact:The article concludes that power relations in academia affect not only individual behavior but also the overall ethical climate, scientific productivity, and institutional sustainability.
🔬Design:Review & Systematic Survey
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Akademi · Etik İklim · Güç İlişkileri

Abstract

Although academic institutions are traditionally regarded as spaces where knowledge is freely produced and critical thinking is nurtured, they are not immune to the influence of power, authority, and hierarchy. These dynamics shape institutional culture and individual behaviors, exerting a profound impact on the ethical climate. Within academia, job insecurity, publication pressure, and intense competition often compel individuals to remain silent or conform to authority. This tendency represents not only a personal coping mechanism but also a reflection of organizational silence and a culture of fear. This review explores how power dynamics are formed within academic settings, how individuals respond to these structures, and the roles of phenomena such as mobbing, exclusion, and ethical dilemmas in these processes. The misuse of power and its consequences for institutional justice, meritocracy, and ethical values are examined from sociological and psychological perspectives. The article concludes that power relations in academia affect not only individual behavior but also the overall ethical climate, scientific productivity, and institutional sustainability.

Özet

Akademik kurumlar, bilginin özgürce üretildiği ve eleştirel düşüncenin beslendiği alanlar olarak kabul edilse de güç, otorite ve hiyerarşi ilişkilerinden tamamen bağımsız değildir. Bu ilişkiler, zamanla kurum kültürünü ve bireysel davranış biçimlerini şekillendirerek etik iklim üzerinde belirleyici bir etki yaratır. Akademide kadro güvencesizliği, yayın baskısı ve rekabetin yoğunluğu, bireyleri çoğu zaman güç karşısında sessiz kalmaya veya uyum göstermeye yönlendirir. Bu durum, yalnızca bireysel bir savunma mekanizması değil, aynı zamanda örgütsel sessizlik ve korku kültürünün bir yansımasıdır. Derleme kapsamında, akademik yapılarda güç dinamiklerinin nasıl oluştuğu, bireylerin bu dinamiklere nasıl tepki verdiği ve mobbing, dışlanma ya da etik ikilemler gibi olguların bu süreçteki rolü tartışılmaktadır. Gücün yanlış kullanımının kurumsal adalet, liyakat ve etik değerlere olan etkisi sosyolojik ve psikolojik açıdan ele alınmıştır. Makale, akademideki güç ilişkilerinin sadece bireysel davranışları değil, bilimsel üretkenliği ve kurumsal sürdürülebilirliği de derinden etkilediğini ortaya koymaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Kapucu, S. (2026). Bending Before Power: A Review on Power Relations, Ethical Dilemmas, and the Culture of Silence in Academia. Türk Hemşireler Derneği Dergisi, Cilt: 7 Sayı: 2, 129–142. https://doi.org/10.70479/thdd.1811349

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