A series of deceptions might be orchestrated, including being told they have failed and did not make the cut, for the purposes of observing their reactions. Such methods engender lingering “suspicion and distrust” about the very institution on whose behalf they work. In fact, observed one study, “agents readily admit that the most troublesome symptoms of anxiety and paranoia do not typically arise with uncertainty over the enemy [or target], but more when it is the employer’s motives that are perceived to be the source of the threat.”
