What might cause someone to gain or lose their integrity?

It’s upsetting each time we read about yet another prominent figure losing their integrity through lying, stealing, committing fraud, or infidelity. Philosophical, cultural, and historical influences also shape our integrity, whether we recognize this or not.

How do you lose integrity?

Integrity means being consistent and predictable, acting in ways that are consistent with what you say you believe. Moral failure such as cheating on your spouse is one form of lost integrity, assuming you say you believe in faithfulness to your spouse.

How does money affect ethical behavior?

Researchers from Harvard University and the University of Utah confirmed what has been obvious for eons: Money changes the way we think and the way we behave, and not in a good way. Sure enough, those who were first made to think about money scored consistently lower on ethics. …

What wealth does to your soul?

A UCLA neuroscientist named Keely Muscatell has published an interesting paper showing that wealth quiets the nerves in the brain associated with empathy: If you show rich people and poor people pictures of kids with cancer, the poor people’s brains exhibit a great deal more activity than the rich people’s.

Does wealth cause a sense of moral entitlement?

It is no surprise in this post-2008 world to learn that wealth may cause a sense of moral entitlement.

What happens when a leader loses his way?

Leaders who lose their way are not necessarily bad people; rather, they lose their moral bearings, often yielding to seductions in their paths. Very few people go into leadership roles to cheat or do evil, yet we all have the capacity for actions we deeply regret unless we stay grounded.

How does wealth affect our thoughts and actions?

Wealth (and the pursuit of it) has been linked with immoral behavior—and not just in movies like The Wolf of Wall Street. Psychologists who study the impact of wealth and inequality on human behavior have found that money can powerfully influence our thoughts and actions in ways that we’re often not aware of, no matter our economic circumstances.

How does wealth affect empathy and compassion?

Several studies have shown that wealth may be at odds with empathy and compassion. Research published in the journal Psychological Science found that people of lower economic status were better at reading others’ facial expressions —an important marker of empathy—than wealthier people.