Greedy bastards: Testing the relationship between wanting more and unethical behavior

Greed is often seen as immoral. Although the assumption that greed elicits unethical behavior is widespread, there is surprisingly little empirical research testing this relationship. We present a series of three studies investigating the association between greed and unethical behavior, using diffe...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Personality and individual differences 2019-02, Vol.138, p.147-156
Main Authors: Seuntjens, Terri G., Zeelenberg, Marcel, van de Ven, Niels, Breugelmans, Seger M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Bribery
Dispositional Greed Scale
Ethics
Greed
Morality
Professional ethics
Self control
Transgression
Unethical behavior
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Greed is often seen as immoral. Although the assumption that greed elicits unethical behavior is widespread, there is surprisingly little empirical research testing this relationship. We present a series of three studies investigating the association between greed and unethical behavior, using different methodologies and samples from the USA, The Netherlands, and Belgium. Study 1 (3 samples, total N = 3413) reveals that more greedy individuals find a variety of transgressions more acceptable and justifiable as well as indicate that they have more often engaged in a variety of transgressions compared to less greedy individuals. Study 2 (N = 172) replicated these findings in an incentivized behavioral laboratory study where participants decided to accept a bribe or not. Greedy people were more likely to take a bribe and also preferred higher bribes. Study 3 (N = 302) examined a potential process relating greed to unethical behavior. Greedy people were more likely to transgress because they found the positive outcomes associated with the transgression more desirable, and therefore displayed lower self-control. Implications for general theories of greed and morality are discussed.
ISSN:0191-8869
1873-3549
DOI:10.1016/j.paid.2018.09.027