Cheaters for life?
Click on the title of this post to read a summary of a report about high school character. Discuss your thoughts about the results. Please respond by noon, Wednesday, Nov. 18.
posted by Neal Haldane @ 7:59 AM
15 comments
15 Comments:
I guess it makes sense that people who have a tendancy to cheat and like when they're younger would grow up and act the same way. Most habbits that people develop as children stick with them through life. That being said, I'm not sure I'd agree with everything the article says. Cheating on a spouse seems like a big jump to make from cheating on a quiz or test in high school years previously. I guess some people may just be predisposed to be dishonest, and they may be in everything they do. However, I don't think cheating in high school translates to cheating in a committed relationship with someone you care about. And then I wonder if there are other factors that could involve dishonest behavoir in high school. Perhaps a person had reallly strict parents and felt the need to cheat if they didnt have enough time to study. Not that I'm saying it's ok to cheat, it just seems to be the article is making a huge umbrella assumption. So, I guess I can agree and disagree with this one. I'd just like to know more about the data to actually draw a propper conclusion from it.
I actually agree with this article, lying and cheating are habits that either stay with us from a young age and develop as we grow or we don't acquire them when we are young which leads us to become more honest people when we are older. The second you get away with lying or cheating then you have the tendency to do it again and again. You start lying about bigger things and more important things until you just become dishonest about everything you do. I think it's kind of like smoking or drinking, in the way that at the beginning you say a little sip won't hurt and then later you get used to it and you start doing it more often until you get addicted to it and become an alcoholic. It's hard to stop it or give yourself limits because as long as you're gaining from it then you say to yourself: "why not?" Why not lie about where I live so my kid can go to a better school? Why not lie to my boss so that I can keep my job or get a raise? I don't think it's an age thing, it's more of the generation. Our parent's didn't lie when they were 17-18 as much as this generation is lying these days. And I think it's still going to get worse and worse, even kids these days are lying more than usual.
It was funny to see that sales people were always on top of the list of occupations that lie, which is comprehensible, because sales people usually have to convince their customers into buying their products, which requires them to stretch out the truth at times.
But how did they know the percentages that were not completely honest in answering all questions on the survey?
Yeah, I definitely think that schools should be more active in seeking to instill core ethical values and developing good character in children. Not only in schools but also in kindergartens.
=)
I think people are way more likely to lye or cheat if they did it when they were younger, but I also think that that is one thing that is instinct. I know my little brother lies all the time saying that someone told him to do something because he doesn’t want to get into trouble. No one could really teach him to lye—he is only three—but it takes a lot to try and teach little ones not to lye and that it is bad. I also think that in school they should try and teach kids more core ethical values. Another thing that I believe and—is why I’m not shocked by most of the results—is that it is ok to lye if the circumstances are right.
An old man once said to me that 80% of well-made marriages are filled with lies. I've always wondered how they found that percentage out. Now I see there's a whole jurisdiction just to find out how many people lie. I wonder how much truth could be found in their findings.
Personally though, I believe religion is a key factor to why one lies. In the olden days, people were taught that if you cheated or acted sinful, you'd burn in hell. People in India were burned for cheating, and beaten with stones in Iran, all because their God told them to. Nowadays the amount of religious folks has dipped, especially the hardcore ones. I think without the incentive of "I'll kill you if you cheat", people are more willing to cheat. I'm most certainly not saying that the logic should be replied, I'm simply stating the obvious.
Also, I don't find age as much of a factor as others. The only true area I would find it in is in the rebellious years of teenhood.
I do beleive that those who lie and cheat when they are young will continue the habit as they grow up. This however it can be corrected. Just because you have lied or cheated once does not give you that label for life. From a young age, children are very impressionable and pick up the habits that they see. There is also a severity level to take into consideration. Just because a person has lied about taking the trash out does not mean they will cheat on their spouse. Most people know the difference between a little white lie and something of those measures.
if a child grows up lying and cheating out of habit I do think that it will have an affect on the person that child will become. Its hard to say that I 100% agree with saying they will grow up to be a liar and cheater because what kid does not try and cheat in a game when they are younger, they hate to lose. On the other hand if that person is still cheating throughout middle and high school it will be a very hard habit to break. I saw a lot of people cheat and get by with really high grades in high school, but in reality it won't get them anywhere. everyone at some point will cheat and lie in their lives, but that does not make us all "cheaters" and "liars"
I did not find the summary results to be very surprising. It makes sense to me that younger people are more likely to be dishonest than people over 50 because these two groups of people were raised in totally different time periods. People over 50 were raised to be honest, dignified, and ethical, whereas children of today do not have the same degree of honesty and integrity demanded of them. It also makes perfect sense that those who believe lying is necessary, those who cheated throughout high school, and those who believe religion is unimportant are more likely to be dishonest. If you do not believe religion is essential then you do not believe that any certain moral conduct is necessary, so of course, you would not care very much whether you were honest. If you think dishonesty is necessary for success in life or you have relied on dishonest measures in the past, it makes sense that you would be more likely to cheat or lie in many different areas. It also seems perfectly logical that those who cheated or lied more often had a lower satisfaction score than those who cheated and lied less often.
I would have to agree completely.The people I was sitting next to in high school who were trying to get a glimpse off my paper are going to be the people trying to hustle you into a "practically new" used car.Once they have found that there is and "easy way " out of things they will take every opportunity to find and use this shortcut. the amount of uses may reduce but the same train of thought will be there, and will be refereed to as a solution.
Craig Hejka
I would have to agree completely.The people I was sitting next to in high school who were trying to get a glimpse off my paper are going to be the people trying to hustle you into a "practically new" used car.Once they have found that there is and "easy way " out of things they will take every opportunity to find and use this shortcut. the amount of uses may reduce but the same train of thought will be there, and will be refereed to as a solution.
Craig Hejka
I do not find any of this information shocking because it is something all high school students see. There are always the kids that do absolutely no work and cheat off others papers, and get away with it. I think it is crazy how they still get good grades when the teachers know exactly what they are doing. It is something that will become a habit for these kids because they feel like they have to do no work to succeed, since thats what they did in high school. I think they will later realize how much of an effect it has on them when they enter college. They are then on their own and have no one to cheat off of anymore.
This really isn't too shocking of a discovery at all. People are beings who continuously are into odds. For example when presented with a situation where you can avoid punnishment and you and your concience are the only ones who that decision is sitting.The question being if truth or a lie can get you out of the situation better in others eyes. I don't think that people are porn with a morale code but it is instilled at a young age. When this is not done it goes back to Operant Conditioning and wheter these behaviors are continuously reinforced. I'm honestly not sure how some people can get through doing these things because it personally eats at me and if you're not a complete sociopath I'd think that it would with other people too.
If you cheat as a child, then there is a huge chance you will cheat as the years go by. You learn things when your young and for the most part they stick with you throughout the years. If a child gets away with it, then they will obviously wonder why they would have to change if they havent gotten caught. It might change it might not, it all depends on the person and what they are willing to do.
If you start cheating at a young age it slowly becomes an extremely strong habit that gets harder and harder to break as you get older. It makes it worse if someone doesn't get caught cheating, it makes that person more apt to do it again. I don't think the facts were surprising, people cheat and play the odds.
It seems that people are taking this problem for granted without trying to fix anything about it. I think our generation has a different thought ethic than past generations and feels the need to get ahead in the world whatever the cost. I don't know if liars and cheaters from high school are really connected to the liars and cheaters in marriages, because many weak people are not strong enough to keep the commitment and resist the temptation. I think that parents need to take a bigger role in disciplining and taking interest in their children's lives so that they don't feel isolated and alone and don't feel pressured to make those bad decisions. I also think when someone finds out about a person who has lied and cheated, they should find out their motive and try to help them if they will accept help.
I would agree that if someone cheated a lot when they were younger that it would follow them when they got older. That being said, I think that its a little hard to believe that they would lie to their significant other. I think that if maybe they had better study habits and could express their feelings better that cheating wouldnt really be a problem among the youth.
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