Psychology of Corruption

S. Kamer

What is Corruption

• The corrupt person want to get non taxable money from people who want to get their work done quickly.

• The corrupt person is already being paid taxable money to do the same work or to prevent the work from getting done.

The Basic Motivation of the Corrupt

• Past experience + Personality = Thinking• The person is born with a certain personality

• While growing up, he has certain past experiences

• This can have an influence on his personality

• This results in a certain thinking pattern which results in corrupt behaviour

Past experience

• Low Socioeconomic Upbringing – • The parents /friends / neighbours/ society live in poverty.

• Selfish Upbringing – • The parents /friends / neighbours/ society do not spend money

easily.

Past experience

• Being with Greedy Crowd – • The parents /friends / neighbours/ society is obsessed with getting

more and more money either to store money in banks or to show others they are wealthy.

• There is Poor leadership, especially by mentors, senior people

• Violent Upbringing – • The parents /friends / neighbours/ society is obsessed with getting

more and more money by violent means or person has suffered violence /abuses by others

Attitude / Personality - Born with or Influenced during upbringing

• Inferiority Complex – • The person has a feeling of low respect towards himself or feels

that people are not paying him enough respect. Believes that money will bring respect.

• Risk taking Behaviour – • Do or die attitude. He wants to live life to the fullest now. Craves

adrenaline high. Believes in ‘no risk no reward’.

Attitude / Personality - Born with or Influenced during upbringing

• Greed – • Greedy for money at all costs

• Superiority Complex – • Believes that he is the most intelligent person born to be great and so

he deserves the money that he gets by any means.

• There is a belief that they will not be caught and that even if caught, punishment will be light

• Revenge –• Believes that it is the fault of others that he is not performing to his full

potential / not happy

Thinking

• Inferiority complex – • I have to get the money anyhow so that people will praise me and

respect me

• Risk taking behaviour – • It does not matter how I get the money as long as I win

Thinking

• Greedy – • It does not matter how I get my money or how other people are

affected as long as I become rich

• Superiority complex – • I am the most intelligent person born to be great and so I deserve

the money that I get by any means

• Revenge – • I will show other people that I am better than them by getting

more money

Levels of corruption

• High level corruption –

• The people at high levels of hierarchy indulge in corruption because

• He gets some part (cut) of the corrupt money of low level employees

• His tolerant attitude towards corruption helps to maintain loyalty among employees to their bosses,

• He can indulge in corruption at a higher level.

• Low level corruption -

• People at low levels of hierarchy indulge in corruption because

• They earn less

• The high levels of hierarchy get some part (cut) of the corrupt money

• They have permission to be corrupt so that government can pay them less income

Types of Corruption

• Soft corruption – • The corruption exists for some people only, less money is involved

and does not lead to violence

• Hard corruption - • The corruption exists for all people, is pervasive, has unofficial

sanction in the society, high amount of money is involved and may lead to violence

Vicious cycle of Corruption

• Activity – experience – peer support—activity• The person indulges in corruption activity

• He gets a positive experience,

• He speaks about it to his peers, mentors, and gets positive feedback and support from them

• So he indulges in more corruption activity

• He can utilise this money to earn more money by getting more people willing to work for him and indulge in corruption.

• Finally it gets social sanction and acceptance. And people follow along the ‘agent’ route to get things done quickly.

Thank You

• This is by no means an exhaustive description.

• If anybody feels that he has anything to add, he can do so.