Rule-breaking without Crime: Insights from Behavioral Ethics for the Study of Everyday Deviancy

Abstract

Recently the field of behavioral ethics has shown new insights about how ordinary people ("good people") can come to break the law. The core assumption in this field is that ordinary deviancy is related to cognitive processes and the situation behavior is embedded in. This paper compares insights from this field to criminological knowledge that normally has focused on crime and criminal behaviour. In comparing both fields it finds that there is some significant overlap in ordinary rule breaking behavior and criminal behavior. And thus it argues for bridging the divide between criminal and mundane rule breaking behavior and develop research that incorporates both perspectives to understand what makes people, whether they are seen as good or bad, come to break or obey rules.

Keywords: behavioral ethics, deviancy, criminology, crime decision making, compliance, crime, ethics

JEL Classification: K42, K14