Are rich people more unethical?

[Engyo]

(Health.com) -- Since the economic implosion of 2008, the news has been littered with accounts of questionable behavior in boardrooms, corner offices, and other gold-plated spaces. What's not clear from the headlines, however, is whether white-collar criminals like Bernard Madoff are bad apples or extreme examples of a widespread trend.
A new study may offer a clue to answering that question: A series of experiments conducted by psychologists at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that people who are socially and financially better-off are more likely to lie, cheat, and otherwise behave unethically compared to individuals who occupy lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder.
"Elevated wealth status seems to make you want even more, and that increased want leads you to bend the rules or break the rules to serve your self-interest," says Paul Piff, the lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate in psychology at the university.

Are rich people more unethical? - CNN.com

What do you think?

 

[Neo-Logic]

I think the wealthier people encounter more opportunities where unethical and even illegal behavior can yield them huge returns or benefits at a relatively low cost or chance of capture. Usually it will have to do with information that the ordinary citizens won't get or hear about for a while.

 

[Revoltingest]

What do you think?

I spy the spotlight fallacy.
No one would bother to write articles about financial misdeeds in low income homes,
small businesses, flea market vendors, or small time drug dealers on street corners.
"Unethical" is just one component of being human.

 

[Quintessence]

I spy the spotlight fallacy.
No one would bother to write articles about financial misdeeds in low income homes,
small businesses, flea market vendors, or small time drug dealers on street corners.

It depends on how they did the study. If done properly, it would accommodate for these kinds of reporting biases. Given this is coming out of a university, I'd give them the benefit of the doubt that they're following proper scientific methodology. What's more questionable is the popular media's slant on it. The media has a habit of distorting scientific findings (albeit unintentionally) beyond their intended purpose .

Regardless, there was a study somewhat similar to this than I ran across a while ago. I forget where, but it basically showed that yes, men in power do tend to become more "corrupt" (yes, men as in males; the study was specifically about men, not women).

 

[Engyo]

I have known highly ethical rich people, and highly unethical ones, just like poor people. I don't think it is the money itself that is the contributing factor.

I think ethicality is a sliding scale; and I also believe (as mentioned in the article) that rich people have more opportunities to exercise their unethicality in ways others will notice.

 

[JacobEzra.]

I think we shouldn't judge an individual until we get to know them

 

[Reverend Rick]

Was the study at the university done by a progressive woman perhaps? Just guessing here.

 

[Engyo]

Was the study at the university done by a progressive woman perhaps? Just guessing here.

targetting the messenger, perhaps?

 

[JacobEzra.]

It just seems like it would be hard to say All of X are more likely to lie and cheat

 

[Reverend Rick]

targetting the messenger, perhaps?

Just questioning the objectivity of the person doing the research. It is easy to find support for anything and overlook a ton of other data, what do they call that data mining?

 

[Revoltingest]

It depends on how they did the study. If done properly, it would accommodate for these kinds of reporting biases. Given this is coming out of a university, I'd give them the benefit of the doubt that they're following proper scientific methodology. What's more questionable is the popular media's slant on it. The media has a habit of distorting scientific findings (albeit unintentionally) beyond their intended purpose.

I am most skeptical of studies with political implications. It's hard to eliminate bias.
Moreover, Mrs Rev found when working for a company which did studies for government
that if undesired results are found, then funding will disappear.

 

[Quintessence]

I am most skeptical of studies with political implications. It's hard to eliminate bias.
Moreover, Mrs Rev found when working for a company which did studies for government
that if undesired results are found, then funding will disappear.

That's an issue of research ethics, then. IMHO, if we want to help encourage more ethical standards in science research, we need to quit pulling funding plugs and give a constant stream to basic science.

 

[Revoltingest]

That's an issue of research ethics, then. IMHO, if we want to help encourage more ethical standards in science research, we need to quit pulling funding plugs and give a constant stream to basic science.

Research politics is what it is.
Skeptical I shall remain.

 

[Quintessence]

Nothin' wrong with that. I'd want to read their methodology myself to be certain it was up to par. I've done similar kinds of research before in terms of sampling for surveys, so I'd be in a decent position to evaluate its merit. In particular, I'd scrutinize to be certain they're not making claims of causation when the study is clearly correlational... and also what confounding variables they parsed out of their analysis. It wouldn't surprise me if some underlying factor is more strongly correlated with ethical behavior among their target populations.

 

[Levite]

It's not universally true, but I think more often than not, the wealthier one is, the more one prioritizes maintaining and increasing one's luxuries, pleasures, and possessions. And the higher those things are prioritized, the more willing and even eager one is to sacrifice the welfare of others for one's own comforts.

Like I said, it's not universally the case: I have been privileged to know a number of very wealthy individuals who were humble, deeply concerned with the welfare of others, were honest and fair-dealing, and gave munificently to charity. But I have met, heard of, seen, and been affected by far too many uncaring, greedy, and narcissistic rich people to think that the caring and empathetic and generous rich people that I met were anything but exceptions to the rule.

 

[dust1n]

What do you think?

I don't know, but I do know that they can't dance.

 

[Revoltingest]

I don't know, but I do know that they can't dance.

Michael Jackson was rich.
I heard that he could dance a little.

 

[Mister Emu]

One of the experiments was going on the sidewalk and watching the traffic, and guesstimating socio-economic status by make and "newness" of car.

Very scientific.

 

[Mathematician]

Probably.

 

[Sunstone]

I'd want to see studies like these extensively colloborated before putting much trust in them.