The problem of integrity slipping away in society isn’t new. A recent example of it is the news about a government official caught taking bribes in exchange for jobs a few days before we took an “Integrity Pledge” at the workplace.
This incident at first revealed only one person, but a trail of people involved in this came to light. There’s no clear paper trail in such under-the-table dealings, which makes them hard to prove.
This shows a bigger issue: bribery is woven so tightly into the fabric of society that it’s considered almost natural by many. “Doing a favour for a favour” has become so common that it’s easy to forget how unethical it is.
Why do people act this way, risking their principles for extra cash or influence? It’s not as simple as personal greed or lack of morals. We’re wired to value small, quick pleasures, which, over time, turn into habits, and they start to feel normal.
When someone accepts a bribe or does a small favour, their brain releases dopamine, creating a sense of satisfaction. Once a favour is offered, it forms an obligation for the recipient. It’s a loop. This effect can be powerful enough to make people overlook the ethics of their choices. The immediate reward is the happiness of giving a favour, but it leads to the erosion of integrity in the long term; we are victims of temporal discounting.
In all religious cultures, people perform rituals, fasts, and offerings to a God to earn blessings or a better afterlife. This is a ‘bribe’.
This way of thinking—offering something to get something in return—this transactional mind-set has filtered into how we view jobs, promotions, and influence. So, when someone offers a bribe to secure a position, it’s seen as just another “offering” to get ahead.
Another factor is the cultural push toward “doing what it takes” to secure a job. A government position, for example, is often seen as a golden ticket. When so many people view these roles as “worth any price,” paying for these jobs or using connections to get in becomes normalised.
Over time, this creates a vicious cycle: people expect to pay, others hope to receive, and it’s hard to pinpoint who “started it.” It starts with one person securing a job by paying a bribe, you want to make up for the ‘loss’ by accepting bribes, and the cycle continues.
Beyond psychology, social norms push people further down this path. In environments where bribery or connections are a norm, bending the rules doesn’t feel like breaking the law; it feels like levelling the playing field.
Standing against this tide is challenging, as it often means missed opportunities or backlash from those who benefit from these practices.
Psychologists refer to “moral disengagement”— a term for how people justify questionable behaviour to avoid feeling guilty. It’s an easy way to go against one’s principles while feeling like a “good person” at heart. This rationalisation shields them from guilt, so they can act in self-interest while still seeing themselves as ethical.
There’s also something known as the “slippery slope”. It starts with small things, like taking a tiny perk or bending a rule, and leads to more significant compromises down the line.
Each small step weakens the original ethical boundaries, making it easier to justify the next. Once someone steps over one line, it’s easier to cross others, and they can end up far from the values they once held.
So, how do we tackle this erosion of integrity? It requires effort from both individuals and organisations. For individuals, it’s about building self-awareness and reflecting on whether your actions match your values.
Educating yourself on the risks of moral justification and the slippery slope can help spot early warning signs before habits take root.
Staying aware of these patterns makes avoiding the pull of unethical shortcuts easier.