CRIME AGAINST THE STATE OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA AND ITS VICTIMS PRESENTED THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS OF CORRUPT BEHAVIOUR
CRIME AGAINST THE STATE OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA AND ITS VICTIMS PRESENTED THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS OF CORRUPT BEHAVIOUR

Summary/Abstract: Morality is a complex psychological phenomenon, which represents a form of social consciousness, customs, habits and standards accepted within a particular community, whereas from the standpoint of moral psychology it signifies ideal human behavior, which aims to improve society. It is of social and scientific importance to provide an answer to a number of questions associated to corruption, and particularly answering what it is and how it occurs; is it the result of the decision to be corrupt or is it due to the fact that we possess established dispositions that lead to it, and does corruption symbolize an issue of our conformity in some corrupt system? The question is also whether corruption can be considered an outcome of both, depending on the situation and the constellation of different factors? Can the moral profile of "squeamish about corruption" be established? What is the power of different motives that drive human (im)moral behavior, etc.? Corruption is treated as a moral issue, associated with human morality. It is a complex phenomenon with a variety of manifestations and factors affecting it. Various definitions were considered in defining the concept of corruption, among which we will draw attention to a significant psychological definition. According to the results of research conducted so far, the following most relevant factors can be identified for the emergence of corruption: a) individually-psychological: immorality, locus of control, self-regulation, values and level of morality and Machiavellianism; b)organizational (situational):organizational-corrupt rationalization, reinforcement (rewarding), reference groups and individuals, social pressure (threat), permissive ethical climate and values; and c) ethical culture of the organization as a factor of corruption. Among the psychological factors of corrupt behavior, researchers? indicate the following: the diffusion of responsibilities; guilt; fear of punishment; frustration and the desire to succeed, as well as attitudes and values. Moral behavior at the highest level is altruistic (behavior) and is motivated by a desire for one's own benefit and the benefit of others. Moral behavior disorders are based on impaired reasoning, which includes immoral activities, such as: theft, robbery, fraud, murder, rape, etc. From the standpoint of psychology, corruption is not a phenomenon that occurs between two (or more) individuals or within a group, but can be expected only under the combined action of certain factors, which in a certain number and strength create a critical disposition. There are numerous empirical confirmations of the consequences of corruption on states, organizations and individuals, and they range from significant economic, political and social, all the way to psychological. Once the "moral scale of values" in a society is distorted, the sense of justice is likewise "distorted" in a way that the victims are marginalized, unprotected and exposed to secondary victimization on a regular basis by those who are obliged to give appropriate assistance, support and protection, which, as a result, makes justice an unattainable ideal or iniquity for most victims. The rule of law alone is not sufficient for a democracy, but it also needs to be a state of social justice or justice serving the citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and particularly in the service of the most vulnerable categories of the population, not in the service of governing policies.

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