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36 - Factors Influencing the Decision to Commit White-Collar Crime

Integrating Affluenza with Established Risks

from Part V - Other Legal Decision-Making

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2024

By
Daniel N. Jones  and
Sampada Karandikar
Edited by
Monica K. Miller ,
Logan A. Yelderman ,
Matthew T. Huss  and
Jason A. Cantone
Monica K. Miller
Affiliation:
University of Nevada, Reno
Logan A. Yelderman
Affiliation:
Prairie View A & M University, Texas
Matthew T. Huss
Affiliation:
Creighton University, Omaha
Jason A. Cantone
Affiliation:
George Mason University, Virginia
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Summary

The prevalence of white-collar crime (WCC) is alarming. WCC has a significant negative impact on a country’s economy and overall society. Several social and personal factors have been proposed to explain why people make the decision to perpetrate WCC. This chapter presents a brief summary of the established risk factors, which explain the decision to commit white-collar crime. Further, the chapter explores affluenza as a potential predictor of the decision to commit white-collar crime. Affluenza is defined as entitlement driven by a deep value for one’s elevated socioeconomic status, which blinds people to the social consequences of their actions. We discuss how affluenza might contribute to a person’s decision to commit WCC, as well as its legal implications. Further, future directions for research investigating the role of affluenza in perpetration of white-collar crime are discussed.

Keywords

white-collar crimedecision-makinglegal decision-makingaffluenzastrain theoryroutine activities theorydark triad
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Legal Decision-Making , pp. 555 - 566
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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