Fear of people’s reactions can lead us to self-censor
This post at Psychology Today picks up Kristie Dotson’s work on testimonial smothering as a form of silencing. I have been using Dotson’s ideas as part of my book project on trustworthiness and competence, particularly in considering how we judge competence in others. I also briefly discuss these ideas in a forthcoming chapter on trust, distrust and epistemic injustice, for the Routledge Handbook of Epistemic Injustice, edited by Ian James Kidd, José Medina, and Gaile Pohlhaus Jr.