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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWealthy More Likely To Lie, Cheat: Researchers
(Bloomberg) Maybe, as the novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald suggested, the rich really are different. Theyre more likely to behave badly, according to seven experiments that weighed the ethics of hundreds of people.
The upper class, as defined by the study, were more likely to break the law while driving, take candy from children, lie in negotiation, cheat to increase their odds of winning a prize and endorse unethical behavior at work, researchers reported today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Taken together, the experiments suggest at least some wealthier people perceive greed as positive and beneficial, probably as a result of education, personal independence and the resources they have to deal with potentially negative consequences, the authors wrote.
While the tests measured only minor infractions, that factor made the results even more surprising, said Paul Piff, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a study author. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-27/wealthier-people-more-likely-than-poorer-to-lie-or-cheat-researchers-find.html
seeviewonder
(461 posts)I thought this was a sort of "given" bit of information.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Something is off balance here.
crunch60
(1,412 posts)and many don't have money to pay fancy lawyers to get them out. Check out the stats in the link. It's growing bigger everyday. I think we need to OWS prison system.
PRIVATE PRISONS ARE BACK...
Outlawed at the beginning of the 20th Century, private corporations are once again owning and operating prisons for profit. A controversial issue which dates back to the days that followed the Emancipation Proclamation, CORRECTIONS examines its re-appearance today amidst globalization and the most awesome growth of prisons in all of modern history, painting a complex portrait of what many are calling the "prison industrial complex."
http://www.correctionsproject.com/corrections/pris_priv.htm
varelse
(4,062 posts)The research indicates that valuing greed leads to unethical behavior, not necessarily that income class causes bad behavior, McGinley said, adding, greediness seems like a much more substantial predictor than income.
baldguy
(36,649 posts)Alameda
(1,895 posts)Keystone Writer
(65 posts)You really have to have a complete disdain for other people to be able to do the things they do.
However, they're smart enough to know that their reputation is what allows them to get away with what they do. So expect them to play every card.
napoleon_in_rags
(3,991 posts)Newsflash: Scientific study shows rich likely to be deceptive. Rich respond with with deceptive arguments to discredit study!
CatholicEdHead
(9,740 posts)When I have to drive around 394 in the western Twin Cities. Any BMW, Mercedes, Range Rover, etc... always thinks they own the road and speeds all over.