Neuroscience of Corrupt Behavior SourceNeuroscience of Corrupt Behavior Corruption is an impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle; inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means. Psychopaths are one psychiatric group whose social behaviors strongly match this definition. Borrowing from the definition of psychopathy, a psychopath is “...a self-centered, callous, and remorseless person profoundly lacking in empathy,” and are also considered “social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life... completely lacking in conscience and in feelings for others”. They break the moral code of society through various antisocial acts, mostly for personal gain. How does one explain their behavior? Individuals who engage in corrupt and immoral behavior are in some ways similar to individuals with psychopathy. Normal people refrain from engaging in such behaviors because they tie together the moral value of society and the risk of punishment when they violate social rules. What is it, then, that allows these immoral individuals to behave in this manner, and in some situations even to prosper? When there is a dysfunction of somatic markers, specific disadvantageous impairments in decision-making arise, as in moral judgment, but, paradoxically, under some circumstances, the damage can cause the patient to make optimal financial investment decisions. Interestingly, individuals with psychopathy, a personality disorder, share many of the same behavioral characteristics seen in Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex and amygdala lesion patients, suggesting that defective somatic markers may serve as a neural framework for explaining immoral and corrupt behaviors. Sumber: Sobhani M, and Bechara A, Soc Neurosci 2011;6(5-6):640-52. doi: 10.1080/17470919.2011.605592. Epub 2011 Sep 15. Nurhadi Ibrahim Divisi Neurofisiologi/ Molekul dan Sel Fisiologi, Departemen Fisiologi Kedokteran/Laboratorium Terpadu FKUI
Posted on: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 07:51:16 +0000
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