Believing that very few humans, less than one percent can be classified "without conscience;" what leads humans to repeatedly behave in ways to cheat, lie, steal, etc.
Thinking on this, I remember two works from my early studies in Sociology and Criminology. The first by Edwin Sutherland's on white collar crimes White Collar Crime: The Uncut Version
. As I remember the study it was reported that such crimes started out relatively innocently. Stealing a pencil from work or pocketing someone's loose change or the likes. Then an elaborate process of inner dialogue and repeated and progressively growing in seriousness moral lapses led to eventually getting caught. We read about such incidents in our daily news.
Sometimes the motivation is simply to get some food to eat. With white collar crime what goes on has been described by Sykes and Matza, 1957, as "techniques of neutralization," which leads to the second work I write about. http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/matza.htm. The techniques are rationalizations and justifications, internal arguments that often lead one into further mis-deeds and can eventually lead to more serious crimes.
My interest in bringing this information to this blog has to do with another interest, fascination even, of mine that of the "repetition compulsion" phenomena I write and speak about.
Those who have visited my blog have no doubt read about the phenomena of people repeating traumatic events often over and over again and again. My belief is that it is a soul issue and has to do with "so they will remember" to heal.
Perhaps, along these lines, the corruption we are so aware of in this culture and in general, in mass society, has to do with people starting out simple enough, stealing, lying or cheating and then escalating in this behavior with an underlying compulsion to get caught! To get caught so that they will be compelled to working on deeper wounding issues.
What I know from my work is that when becoming aware of the phenomena one dips back into personal history and remembers where the original traumatic act or event occurred, deals with that loss with gratitude and forgiveness of self and/or other, then the wounded soul part can return and healing begins.
The wonderful Alcoholic Anonymous movement has as a basic tenant, one of the 12 Steps, the Fifth, I believe "To make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves" and then to make things right where one may.
When I consider the great amount of grief that our world experiences because of corruption and some of the above considerations it occurs to me that those perpetrating the crimes are also caught up in the repetition compulsion and haven't a clue as to how to move out of that pattern.
Perhaps with radical forgiveness and a more grateful approach to life the dynamics can be reversed. This has been successfully practiced repeatedly. Most importantly by Nobel Peace recipient Desmond Tutu of South Africa. No Future Without Forgiveness
We have also seen in our world how "Radical Forgiveness" www.radicalforgiveness.com has brought peace between warring tribes or nations.
Practicing "Gratitude for All" (as no less than Elizabeth Kubler Ross suggests we adopt in even our most grievious losses On Death and Dying (Scribner Classics)
) can lead to the lessening of the need to rationalize and neutralize the extent of our internal dialogues about our illegal or immoral actions. It can open the doors to learn to stay present in the awesome eternal "Now" so that we can forgive ourselves and others and lead the way to Redemption.
It seems to me to be a need. Our anger and condemnation drives others to continue to be stuck in cycles of abuse. Our forgiveness at least offers an opportunity for healing.
What do you think?
Thinking on this, I remember two works from my early studies in Sociology and Criminology. The first by Edwin Sutherland's on white collar crimes White Collar Crime: The Uncut Version
. As I remember the study it was reported that such crimes started out relatively innocently. Stealing a pencil from work or pocketing someone's loose change or the likes. Then an elaborate process of inner dialogue and repeated and progressively growing in seriousness moral lapses led to eventually getting caught. We read about such incidents in our daily news.Sometimes the motivation is simply to get some food to eat. With white collar crime what goes on has been described by Sykes and Matza, 1957, as "techniques of neutralization," which leads to the second work I write about. http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/matza.htm. The techniques are rationalizations and justifications, internal arguments that often lead one into further mis-deeds and can eventually lead to more serious crimes.
My interest in bringing this information to this blog has to do with another interest, fascination even, of mine that of the "repetition compulsion" phenomena I write and speak about.
Those who have visited my blog have no doubt read about the phenomena of people repeating traumatic events often over and over again and again. My belief is that it is a soul issue and has to do with "so they will remember" to heal.
Perhaps, along these lines, the corruption we are so aware of in this culture and in general, in mass society, has to do with people starting out simple enough, stealing, lying or cheating and then escalating in this behavior with an underlying compulsion to get caught! To get caught so that they will be compelled to working on deeper wounding issues.
What I know from my work is that when becoming aware of the phenomena one dips back into personal history and remembers where the original traumatic act or event occurred, deals with that loss with gratitude and forgiveness of self and/or other, then the wounded soul part can return and healing begins.
The wonderful Alcoholic Anonymous movement has as a basic tenant, one of the 12 Steps, the Fifth, I believe "To make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves" and then to make things right where one may.
When I consider the great amount of grief that our world experiences because of corruption and some of the above considerations it occurs to me that those perpetrating the crimes are also caught up in the repetition compulsion and haven't a clue as to how to move out of that pattern.
Perhaps with radical forgiveness and a more grateful approach to life the dynamics can be reversed. This has been successfully practiced repeatedly. Most importantly by Nobel Peace recipient Desmond Tutu of South Africa. No Future Without Forgiveness
We have also seen in our world how "Radical Forgiveness" www.radicalforgiveness.com has brought peace between warring tribes or nations.
Practicing "Gratitude for All" (as no less than Elizabeth Kubler Ross suggests we adopt in even our most grievious losses On Death and Dying (Scribner Classics)
) can lead to the lessening of the need to rationalize and neutralize the extent of our internal dialogues about our illegal or immoral actions. It can open the doors to learn to stay present in the awesome eternal "Now" so that we can forgive ourselves and others and lead the way to Redemption.It seems to me to be a need. Our anger and condemnation drives others to continue to be stuck in cycles of abuse. Our forgiveness at least offers an opportunity for healing.
What do you think?
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