At other times, the subordinate might be aware that the order is unethical nonetheless, the impulse to obey is so strong that it overrides his or her judgment. If a person of authority orders a subordinate to do something unethical, the compelling need to obey authority serves as such a powerful external stimulus that the individual will likely obey the order without being aware of its opposition to his or her own ethical principles. Consequently, later in life, when the boss orders an employee to do something, many people quickly obey without thinking. Students automatically know that they must show deference to their teachers. Children are primed to obey their parents their survival depends upon it and in school, this conditioning continues. “Obedience to Authority” is a clear example of a primary trap. ![]() They are the main traps that impel people to move in a certain direction without regard for ethical principles. Primary traps are predominantly comprised of external stimuli. In addition, the article introduces three main categories of traps: Primary, Personality, and Defensive. The essential question the authors posed was: What prompts the individual or organization to begin to move in an ill-fated direction? The diverse traps presented in this article provide descriptions of different internal or external stimuli that compel people to begin this movement toward disaster. At other times, he or she is aware of other choices, but the stimulus’ impact overrides these potential actions. Sometimes, a stimulus is so powerful or triggers such automatic behavior that the individual acts without recognizing that other options exist. These impulses are reactions to internal or external stimuli. Traps exist because at any given moment in time people experience impulses that motivate them to act. Individuals that we respect and admire even whole companies can descend rapidly down the path of corruption. This is because traps can incite tunnel vision the pull to act on them is so strong that people can become blinded to other behavioral options. For example, empathy is often considered the cornerstone of good ethics but in some circumstances, this personality trait can actually overpower our sense of fairness. When danger is clearly identified, one can prepare for it and avoid it.ĭepending on their context, traps may be benign and can even exert a positive influence on our lives. Once the traps are identified, however, they lose much of their power to ensnare, and people can more easily circumvent them just as voyagers who know the location of quicksand can navigate around it. If people are not aware of these traps, they can act as illusions or webs of deception. īecause they are psychological in nature, some of these traps distort perceptions of right and wrong so that one actually believes his or her unethical behavior is right. ![]() Later, the action turns out to be disastrous and there are usually no simple means of reversing course. In the same way, an individual or organization is encouraged to move in a certain (unethical) direction once a psychological trap is present. A fish trap is comprised of a wire cage with an entrance shaped like a large funnel that narrows toward the inside of the cage the design of the funnel directs the fish to swim into the trap. Psychological traps are similar to fish traps. Psychological traps are the root causes of unethical behavior. We What Are Psychological Traps and Why Do They Exist?
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