Rule-breaking without Crime: Insights from Behavioral Ethics for the Study of Everyday Deviancy
Feldman, Y., Rorie, M., & Van Rooij, B. (2019). Rule-breaking without Crime: Insights from Behavioral Ethics for the Study of Everyday Deviancy. The Criminologist, 44(2), 8-11.
UC Irvine School of Law Research Paper No. 2020-09
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General Subserie Research Paper No. 2020-09
5 Pages Posted: 1 Apr 2020 Last revised: 11 Oct 2021
Date Written: April 25, 2019
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
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation