Why Good People Do Bad Things AND How To Stop Them

How to stop people carrying out unethical behaviours.

People who anticipate temptation are less likely to do bad things, a new study finds.

The research also found that when people thought unethical behaviour reflected poorly on them, they also resisted.

Dr Oliver Sheldon, one of the study’s authors, said:

“People often think that bad people do bad things and good people do good things, and that unethical behavior just comes down to character. But most people behave dishonestly sometimes, and frequently, this may have more to do with the situation and how people view their own unethical behavior than character, per se.”

Part of the reason good people do bad things is that they rationalise, said Dr Sheldon:

“Unethical behavior may not be experienced as something that needs to be resisted if people think it’s socially acceptable or does not reflect on their moral self-image. People often compartmentalize their experiences of temptation, making it much easier for them to rationalize the behavior. They might say, ‘Just because I took office supplies home for personal use one time, that doesn’t mean I’m a thief.'”

In the study, people were given a series of everyday scenarios, like taking office supplies and calling in sick when not really ill.

The results revealed that people behaved more unethically if they believed the incident was isolated.

Dr Sheldon said:

“You may not be concerned about getting caught or about your reputation if people found out, but you might be concerned about your own ethical self-image. Keeping such considerations in mind as one enters into potentially tempting situations can help people resist the temptation to behave unethically.”

The study was published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (Sheldon & Fishbach, 2015).

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