Money encourages unethical behavior

[jeffrey]

It's often said that money corrupts. But a new study says that just the thought of getting some hard cash will do the trick.

The report by University of Utah and Harvard researchers found that individuals who could gain monetarily through unethical behavior were more likely to demonstrate that behavior than those who weren't offered a financial gain.

"Were were interested in why good people would do bad behavior," said Kristin Smith-Crowe, a management professor and co-author of the study released last month...

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100810791

[lorraineb]

This is not surprising to me at all.

[kork13]

I actually disagree... As I see it, a person's ethics are more deeply rooted than any single event can dramatically alter. If someone chooses to act unethically, the person's core ethics are likely not as strong as they thought. Just as one does not simply decide overnight to become a murderer, neither does one become unethical with a single tempting offer.

Consider also how this study was conducted... It used a bunch of college students (who typically have not yet fully developed their own sense of ethics and decision making), and the trial was presented as a series of games (essentially trivial in nature). Conducting the study myself, I would personally choose some different methods....

[disneysteve]

I don't know. I think to some extent everyone has a price at which they would consider something they wouldn't otherwise consider. I also think it depends a lot on their circumstances. For example, if they are deep in debt or otherwise facing a dire situation, they might be more corruptible than someone who is in better shape.

I would also note that the study focuses on "unethical" behavior and not illegal behavior. Everyone's sense of "unethical" is not the same.