10-1: The road to bribery and corruption

Hello Internet! 

This week I have decided to branch out a bit from my original topic and write about some research studies in a journal I have been reading lately about the behavioral sciences. I hope you enjoy. 

The Road to Bribery and Corruption: Slippery Slope or Steep Cliff?

Summary:

​The Article, “The Road to Bribery and Corruption: Slippery Slope or Steep Cliff?” by members of the Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology in Vrije UniversiteitAmsterdam, describes an experiment that was conducted to test whether, “…severely corrupt acts happen gradually or abruptly. Corruption is defined as, “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain” and is not uncommon among our politicians and business owners. It is commonly believed that, “power holders progressively neglect the interests of other individuals while pursuing selfish interests and thus “slide into” corruption.” After 4 different rounds of testing, the conclusion was made that although people may think that corruption is a result of a “slippery slope,” corruption actually occurs when someone is given the chance to commit a severe act for personal gain.

​This study was conducted in four different rounds to test whether the participants were susceptible to corruption. In all rounds, participants played the corruption game. This game is useful for putting the slippery slope analogy to the test because it tests the participants ability to resist temptation that can lead to corruption. Round one tested, “whether severe corruption is more likely to emerge gradually or abruptly.” Round two tested, “whether the repeated engagement or the increasing severity of the slippery slope would keep participants from engaging in a second corrupt position.” Round three tested to see if the same results would occur if, “participants received a monetary payoff at the end of the game.” The final round of the experiment included a real victim of the corrupt behavior. This was to see if emotion played a factor in corruption. All four studies showed that the odds of severe bribery were significantly higher when the participants of the experiment used this option immediately instead of doing it gradually.

Why I Chose This Article:

​Because of the recent election, political tension in our country has been heavy. I was interested in looking into this research subject because I have always been fascinated by human nature and virtue. I took Political Science 1100 last semester and my favorite thing that we learned was how people work in the government. I was reading something somewhere that said that humans aren’t computers; they have emotions, they have feelings, and people with emotions and feelings are susceptible to corruption. A big part of what we learned in that class was based around “the good” and the argument of whether people are born “good” or not.

​I chose to look into the Psychological Science Journal because it seemed like a pretty much “all encompassing” psychology journal. There are articles on a variety of topics which ensured that I would find something up my ally. I also like how this journal is formatted. The double columns and clear diagrams, helping the reader to get a clear picture of the experiment described. There are also minimal spelling errors, grammar errors, and printing mistakes which also makes it easier to read.

Application:

​In today’s society, corruption is everywhere. It occurs on varying levels, from small business owners, to major politicians. When we hear about these cases of corruption in the news, it is often exaggerated or details are left out. It is important to always think critically about things shown on the news. 

​This research study also shows that everyone can be susceptible to corruption. When faced with a tempting offer, anyone can succumb and make less than ethical choices. Ordinary people were used in the four studies and in every situation, they found themselves corrupt in the end. They end up rationalizing their actions to the point that the guilt goes away and their conscience becomes almost invisible.

What I learned:

​While studying this article, I learned corruption occurs more often when someone is given the chance to engage in it at a large scale all at once rather than at a smaller scale over time. Corruption happens because, “people consistently seek to maximize material self-interest while maintaining a positive self-image.” I learned that I need to be careful who I trust and what business deals I get myself into.