Why People Make Unethical Decisions

In an ideal world, there would be absolute ethical standards, and everyone would abide by them. However, in the real world, people act unethically all the time. Some underlying reasons are:

Immaturity: Some people never grow up. They want what they can get right now. They do not consider the future or the needs of others. Their sole concern are their own immediate needs.

Greed: Some people make unethical decisions out of greed. They want to accumulate as much wealth as they can. They want to make the sale or get the bonus no matter what.

Passion: Some people cannot control their passions, so they are driven to unethical acts to satisfy them. Envy of a co-worker frequently creates problems at all levels.

Desperation: Some people make unethical decisions because they are desperate. Low paid workers may steal necessities. A manager with bad results might exaggerate production and sales or hide losses and waste.

Ignorance: Some people make unethical choices because they do not know better. They are ignorant of government laws and regulations, or company rules, policies and procedures.

Opportunity: For some people, if the reward outweighs the risk of punishment, they will make an unethical decision. They consider it alright to do whatever they can get away with.

Obedience: Some people do unethical acts because their supervisors ask them to. Like many Nazi war criminals, they are "merely following orders".

Pressure: Sometimes workers are pressurised into unethical acts by the expectations and opinions of co-workers. The fact that "everyone does it" may override individual conscience.