Brutalization – When psychological strain gradually changes the way we relate to others
Brutalization arises when professionals work over time under psychological pressure, high demands, and emotional strain – without sufficient opportunities for regulation, shared reflection, and professional processing. It is not a question of attitudes, ethics, or personal morality. It is a predictable strain response that can develop in psychologically demanding work.
Brutalization manifests as a gradual shift in the way one speaks, thinks, and acts in relation to others. What may begin as necessary protective strategies can, over time, develop into emotional distance, cynicism, harsh language, and reduced mentalization – often without the individual noticing the change.
Brutalization is not about malicious intent. It is about strain that is no longer sufficiently regulated within the organisational framework of the work.
Preventing brutalization is a central part of the overall work with the psychosocial work environment.
What is brutalization in psychologically demanding work?
Brutalization can be described as a process in which professionals gradually lose emotional, relational, and reflective contact in their work with others. It develops when strain becomes too great, too prolonged, and too solitary.
In exposure psychology, brutalization is not understood as an individual character trait, but as a phenomenon that arises in the interaction between job demands, emotional exposure, and organisational conditions. Brutalization typically develops when:
- Strain is individualised.
- Responsibility becomes private.
- Reflection and processing are lacking.
- Pace and demands exceed capacity.
- Protective strategies become permanent.
Brutalization, overinvolvement, and underinvolvement – When the balance is lost
The Red–Green–Blue Model illustrates what characterises being “overinvolved” or “underinvolved” as opposed to being “attuned and in contact.” The model supports a shared professional language and thereby strengthens a proactive, collective, and holistic approach to strategic prevention.
The Red–Green–Blue Model consists of three fields arranged along a horizontal line.
The green field in the centre of the model symbolises the state in which we feel competent and professionally engaged, and where we experience that our skills and experience are being put to good use. Our efforts make a meaningful difference.
The red field to the left of the green symbolises the point at which one begins to become overinvolved, while the blue field represents the opposite tendency – becoming underinvolved.
Which side one gravitates toward under pressure depends on the organisation, the group, and the individual.
Being in contact
The green field in the centre represents being in contact. This means that, through empathy, one allows oneself to be emotionally affected while trusting that, based on one’s professional competence, judgement, and resources, one can influence the situation in a constructive direction. Being in contact requires the ability to “stay connected to oneself” despite the strong emotional impact of the person and/or situation. Staying connected to oneself means maintaining awareness of one’s bodily sensations and of who one is, what one thinks, and what one feels. In other words, keeping a cool head, a warm heart, and both feet firmly on the ground.
Being overinvolved
To the left of the green field lies the red field, which represents overinvolvement. Overinvolvement typically occurs when there is strong emotional identification with the person one is helping. This means there is a risk of being overwhelmed by the other person’s feelings of helplessness, frustration, anger, despair, or powerlessness.
As a professional, one may become so emotionally affected that, in the moment, one almost loses the ability to think clearly – and may continue to struggle with clear thinking afterwards.
Overinvolvement often makes the professional emotionally thin-skinned and vulnerable. Consciously or unconsciously, this may lead the patient/client/citizen to feel uncertain about whether the professional can tolerate hearing about their pain, frustration, or anger. Overinvolvement may also result in inviting a level of intimacy or personal closeness that makes the person seeking help feel uncomfortable or pressured.
Being underinvolved
To the right of the green field lies the blue field, which represents underinvolvement. This is the opposite reaction a professional may fall into when difficult emotions become overwhelming. Underinvolvement is characterised by emotional distancing from the patient/client/citizen. In the interaction, the professional may appear intellectualising, unaffected, emotionally cold, irritable, or impatient. Underinvolvement can make the professional emotionally thick-skinned and may cause them to appear authoritarian or insensitive. It can lead to situations in which the professional inadvertently violates or dismisses the patient/client/citizen through a detached or overly clinical manner.
On the surface, underinvolvement can easily be mistaken for being in control – something all professionals strive for in their work and which is generally valued socially. However, underinvolvement is in fact the opposite. Like overinvolvement, it reflects a loss of balance.
Underinvolvement may function as a necessary survival strategy – but if it becomes permanent, it can develop into brutalization.
Typical signs of brutalization in working life
Brutalization rarely presents as a single, clear symptom. More often, it appears as a series of gradual changes – both in the individual and within the team, for example:
- Harsher or more distanced language.
- Reduced curiosity about others’ perspectives.
- A tendency to talk about people rather than with them. om mennesker frem for med dem.
- Increased cynicism or irritability.
- Lower tolerance for mistakes, doubt, and vulnerability.
- Reduced mentalization under pressure.
These signs are not expressions of a lack of professional competence, ethics, or care – but of psychological strain that is not being addressed collectively.
Preventing brutalization in practice
Effective prevention of brutalization is not about making employees more resilient or less sensitive, but about creating working conditions in which psychological strain can be regulated, shared, and processed professionally as part of everyday practice.
This requires a shared professional language for understanding strain and reactions, clear frameworks for responsibility and role distribution, and structured spaces for collective reflection and professional processing. When the organisation of the work also provides predictability, and strain is recognised as a condition of the work rather than an individual problem, mentalization, collaboration, and professional judgement are strengthened – even under pressure.
The Institute for Exposure Psychology’s digital implementation courses establish a shared professional foundation for working with the psychosocial work environment and provide concrete tools for preventing brutalization.
Digitale implementeringskurser til fagfolk med et psykisk krævende arbejde
Foundation Course in Strain Psychology
For a holistic approach to managing everyday high emotional demands and exposure to potentially traumatic events.
Foundation Course in Psychological First Aid
For collective crisis response when something unexpected happens — and the group must manage an extraordinary psychological strain together.
Foundation Course in Psychological Safety
Ensuring that tools and methods truly work in practice — rather than remaining well-written policies in contingency plans.
Foundation Course in Psychosocial Prevention
Creating a shared understanding of what proactive, collective prevention looks like in daily practice.
Forråelse og andre belastningsfænomener
- Compassion fatigue, when emotional engagement exceeds recovery.
- Secondary traumatic stress, when the trauma of others has an impact and becomes internal wear.
- Burnout, when strain becomes prolonged and meaning-bearing structures begin to break down.
These phenomena do not arise in isolation, but in the interplay between demands, organisational structures, and culture. Learn more about what it means to have a job with a high degree of emotional strain in this short video.
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