Psychology studies corruption directs the way to healing

Over the past decade, the global problem of corruption has received a great deal of attention Among the psychologists and other sociologists, who were working together to find solutions by studying both individuals and institutions. Four recent studies determine new results that contribute to the working group on corruption.

Psychological test

Ponce-Díaz et al. The authors of the study of 2025, “Psychological Vision in Corruption: Building and Checking the Corrupt intention”, distinguishing corruption from other forms other than honesty, such as lying and lying DeceptionBecause it involves abuse of power. Corruption is more severe, and affects individuals, groups and society.

The questionnaire of the corrupt cyclist intention benefits from the psychological dimension behind the decision or the intention to commit corruption. It is designed to discover spoiled action indicators by identifying patterns before intentions are achieved in measures to facilitate the most effective preventive interventions and contribute to developing public policies and corporate strategies to enhance moral organizational cultures.

In the 2024 study published in International Journal of Public Opinion ResearchThe authors describe the Incio and Sement. Lack of confidence From the political system. “

Corruption leads to more corruption

You find the INCIO and Sement Study of the Peruvian topics that talking simply about bribery, whether positively or negatively, increases the commission of the corrupt actions because whether or not citizens agree to it, if it is considered the rule, it is more likely that they commit corrupt actions. They explain that in an environment where corruption is “the rules of the game”, people adopt the behavior of their peers. Such an environment can also create “fatigue of corruption” that leads to a feeling of resignation and hinders ready to combat corruption.

Or is it?

The study of 2025 apparently provides opposition conclusions. Varraich, Köbis, and Lang, in their article, “Social Psychology of Corruption”, in European Journal of Social Psychology, You find that the presence in a corrupt country and the witness of corruption led to the fact that the Indonesian people are more moral punitive on corrupt actions and expressing the highest disappointment. Anger After corruption.

Authors explain that corruption is a form of social injustice. Citizens in a corrupt society realize that they get less than they are entitled to get more, while others receive more, causing citizens deprived of relative deprivation. This joint relative deprivation may feed collective anger, which leads to opposition to ethical rulings, especially after they personally faced injustice.

Later, these moral provisions that are caused by anger and disappointment may cause a collective action against corruption, especially if these ethical feelings are wide enough to provide the momentum necessary to pressure law and policy makers to eliminate corruption standards. As a result, in Indonesia, citizens participated in a strong collective action to combat corruption over the decades, bringing a government that has been reformed.

Government culture

A list of government reform is shared by the mayor of La Paz, Bolivia, and Ronald Maccine-Apoa, a founding member of international transparency, and a lecturer at Kennedy State College at Harvard University.

In his article in July 2024, “Changing the City Hall-La La Paz”, the details of McLean, who changed how the municipal culture, said: “The attempt to fight corruption is similar to chasing your shadows. Corruption involves clear individuals working within a system with corruption opportunities.” He notes that at the municipal level, “you are dealing with resources. A lot of corruption arises at the municipal level because there are many opportunities.”

As the first democratic elected mayor in La Paz, Bolivia, he was against “the people who turned the city hall into a private institution and were earning money through bribes, fraud in purchases, theft, and sale.” To clean the city hall, it started a repair process to change its system and philosophy To restore general confidence and trust.

corruption = Monopoly + Estimated Authority – Accountability

Maclean-Paroa began reshaping the city hall by rejecting the civil service employees who were brought by a former mayor in his attempt to win the elections. Klitgaard is used as a diagnostic tool: corruption = monopoly + estimation – accountability, indicating that it is the formula of authoritarian governments. “They enjoy monopoly decision makingYou have all the estimated power, almost accountable. “His next work was to break the monopoly within the administration.

It qualifies the checks and balances that deals with the effectiveness of the discretionary and accountability authority as “independent review mechanisms that have the ability to interfere in a process and cannot be denied by making estimated decisions.” Maclean-Paroa, which was called “a treatment approach to a sick institution”, was successfully accomplished in more than 20 local governments across Europe.

When rebuilding confidence, Maclean-Paroa says, “You have to deserve it. When we changed La Paz, I had to do something. Trust is not a mere thing. It is the result of daily procedures.”