Navigating Fear and Recklessness: Lawyers’ Perspectives on Courageous Client Behaviours in the Rights-Seeking Process

Abstract

Courage is often central to rights seeking. Drawing on Aristotelian virtue ethics and socio-psychological perspectives, this qualitative study examines how Turkish lawyers interpret and manage clients' courage, from cowardice to recklessness, during litigation. Semi-structured written interviews with 46 practising lawyers were analysed thematically in MAXQDA24. Participants largely saw courage as pivotal to sustaining claims, especially when supported by education, financial resources, and robust social ties. Social pressure and reputational risks frequently dampened courage, prompting early withdrawal. Lawyers portrayed cowardly clients as anxious and hesitant, courageous clients as calibrated risk-takers, and reckless clients as bold but imprudent, and tailored their guidance, accordingly, offering reassurance, structure, or caution. Situating these dynamics within Turkiye's collectivist, high-uncertainty-avoidant context, the study advances cross-cultural legal psychology and highlights the value of emotional intelligence and mental health awareness in legal practice.