Rationales Used to Justify Unethical Behavior

IMMENSITY ("Bigness")

There is a common perception that if one commits an unethical act against a large entity, no one will really be harmed.  Examples include:  padded time sheets and expense accounts; taking office supplies home; cheating on tax returns; and falsifying insurance claims.  While very few people would ever consider stealing a neighbor's lawn furniture, a sizable number would think little of taking a set of towels from a hotel room. The first action would cause harm to someone associated with a face and name; the second is a violation of a corporate organization — in the perpetrator's view, a non-entity.

Motivations for Ethical Behavior

PUNISHMENT/REWARD

This is the most basic motivator for ethical behavior, and is closely tied to the first developmental stage, duality.  Most of the legal rules fall into this category.  People at this level evaluate the relative punishment or reward proceeding with an action.  The punishment or reward reward before proceeding with an action. The punishment or reward associated with the act gives the individual an idea of how right or wrong something is. For example, murder must be a more significant wrong than jaywalking. The punishment for the former may be the gas chamber, versus a small monetary fine for the latter.

Pentagon of Integrity

There are five basic sources of pressures individuals face in daily activities.The ability to resist these temptations creates the core of an individual's ethical character.
The categories of temptations can be summa­rized as follows:

 POWER - There are five principal types of power sought in our society:

Political - The drive to accumulate constituents/votes.

Religious - The motivation to acquire followers to a particular belief.

Traditional Sources of Ethical Training

family

The family unit is the primary foundation of behavioral learning and establishment of values. Unfortunately, American families have changed drastically in the past seventy-five years. The post­ war (World War II) construction of suburbs and super-highways allowed people to seek jobs in cities, often far from "home," removing their children from frequent interaction with grandparents and other family members (aunts, cousins, etc.).  While creating more mobility, it also caused two long-term difficulties.