There are often times you see or hear about someone who did something that may offend or even shock you. Sometimes you may be the person who does those acts. In the news, you may hear about a person that was arrested as a drug dealer, or robbed a store. Maybe it is sometimes as little as finding out someone is lying about something or passing on personal information that was told in confidence.

So, the question rises, why do people do things that they know are wrong? Let’s take a look at some of the thoughts on why this happens. Make no mistake, there are many more reasons, but here are just a few.

Thrills

Have you ever ridden on a roller coaster at an amusement park? As you waited in line, there was this long build up of tension and fear. Finally, you reached the front of the line and a train comes into the station and everyone getting off is excited and exhilarated. Your tension builds up more because you don’t really know what’s coming, but for everyone to be so excited it must be amazing. Then the gate opens up and you step into the train. You have to buckle in with a shoulder harness and your imagination starts going into overdrive – why do you need to be held in like this? The train starts to pull out with a sudden jerk and then it climbs up. It keeps climbing and your anxiety builds because this seems to be going higher than you thought. Eventually, you see the train level out and can start to hear the people in front of you scream but you can’t quite see what they see. Then, there it is – the drop. After about 90 seconds of twists, turns, loops and spins, you get back to the station have an incredible feeling, not like anything you have felt in a long time.

That sensation is what thrill seekers live for. That sensation is like a drug to some who can become addicted to the excitement.

After a while, the excitement fades as you experience things of a similar nature. The next time you ride that roller coaster it won’t be as wild of a ride to you. You know what it’s like and what to expect. You need a new thrill.

Not everyone can find thrills in what we would consider socially or morally acceptable means. Sometimes they have found that the thrill of not being caught is excitement or the idea of “how much can I get away with” is the game or excitement for them. To these people, they can forget or at least justify an act that is considered wrong by people, including themselves, by the feeling of excitement they receive from completing the action. It may sound selfish, but to them it is an addiction just like any other drug.

No choice

Have you ever had a family member who was in harm’s way? Whether it was from an illness, from another person, a crooked company, a bully? What would you do to protect your family or someone else that you loved? Would you protect them with all you had?

There are people faced with these situations every day. It’s hard to imagine being in a situation like that if you haven’t been there, partly because you don’t want to have to feel that kind of pain even if it is hypothetical.

In a situation where you could save a loved one with one act that you would otherwise consider morally, ethically or socially wrong, could you do it? Will the payoff be worth it? Will you be able to live with yourself?

Many times the answer to this is that you believe you could live with whatever it was as long as your loved one is safe and with you. This could apply to not just a loved one, but also to your own well being. People have been known to steal money from charities for their own gain. They know stealing that money is wrong, but they may feel like there is no choice but to steal since there is no other way to get that kind of money.

Rebellion

At high school, there were always a few kids that always seemed to get into trouble and had to stay after school because of their behavior. Why did they keep getting in trouble? Didn’t they understand that they would just get detention again? You could talk to them and they knew they would get in trouble again but they did it because they wanted to make the point of “you don’t control me.” That’s what one kid told me once. He was smart, but never did what the teachers told him to do. If the bell rang to start class, he was outside sitting on the bench waiting to come in when he was ready. Well, that spelled detention every time. He was the rebellious teen through and through.

It’s not just kids in school but adults too. Think of someone you work with now who just doesn’t behave like the rules apply to him. He does everything the way he wants and it is usually just the opposite of what a manager or supervisor asked for. Why would he do that? Well…”you don’t control me,” “I’m smarter than you,” “you don’t mean anything to me.”

These kids knew what was right and what was wrong. They just didn’t care.

OCD

There are medical conditions that can prevent people from stopping themselves from certain actions. Those actions could be internally or externally damaging. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD is a condition where people have a very difficult time controlling urges. They can recognize right from wrong but may not be able to control their decisions because of the compulsive nature of their feelings.

People with OCD often develop rituals that when disrupted can cause a great amount of anxiety. This could grow to the point of doing things they would normally consider wrong, but they have no real control over it. They may regret their actions later, but they didn’t have the ability to prevent it from occurring at the time due to the disruption of their system or ritual. It could be something as innocent as lining up their shoes in the exact same pattern every day.

OCD behaviors can seem silly to some but to those who are affected it is very serious and very powerful. Often the more a person with OCD tried to stop or ignore an urge related to their OCD the stronger the urge becomes until they are overwhelmed. Rational thought my not be functioning and they really have no control over the desire to follow the ritual.

Ends justify the means

There are times when decisions have to be made and sometimes those decisions are very difficult. To meet a goal, sacrifices are sometimes made. Those sacrifices may not be what you or some other person would consider right but to them, the ends justify the means. To reach a goal, many times it may seem like a minor inconvenience to commit some act that isn’t acceptable. People can try and some often are able to successfully, convince themselves that no matter what wrong was done, whether it’s to a person or a group, is acceptable as long as the goal is obtained or becomes closer. The end justifies the means is a reasoning used by many in businesses daily. It can be successful, but that doesn’t make it right for everyone.

People will do things they know are wrong for a large number of reason. These are just a few. On top of that there is no rule that says there needs to be one reason why wrong things are done.

Final thought

The only conclusion that can come from the main question is this—there are probably just as many reasons why people do things they know are wrong as there are wrong things they can do.