The May 2015 edition of Readers’ Digest features an article from Psychology Today, written by Jena Pincott. In it Pincott addresses the question “Why We Bend the Rules.” She identifies some defense strategies people use to justify bending the rules. They include:
- The Creativity Defense—“The more creative you are, the easier it is to retell the story of what happened when you behaved dishonestly.”
- The Status Defense—“Powerful people break the rules—ergo, breaking rules makes one seem more powerful.”
- The Bonding Defense—“We evolved as tribal animals who followed the rules within small groups (Us) but not with the rest of the world (Them).” So even if others disapprove, if my behavior is okay within my own group (like my culture or nationality) it does not matter.
- The Level-Playing-Field Defense—If I perceive myself as somehow disadvantaged I may tend to break the rules more than the one who believes everyone has equal opportunity.
At the end of the article, Pincott muses: “The real threat is the slippery slope—that minor transgressions can snowball into cataclysmic ones. Imagine Bernie Madoff or Lance Armstrong thinking, Just this once. OK, once more. And eventually, they just don’t think about it. Rule breaking worsens over time.” The solution? Pincott offers “self-awareness.” And she suggests that we need to see ourselves in a “positive light.” For example, people may not pay attention when asked not to cheat (how one acts), but will tend to watch themselves when told not to be a cheater (how one is perceived). All this seems valid and worth considering. But perhaps it still does not go far enough. For human effort alone is not going to be sufficient to bring about an all-encompassing and enduring solution. We need the work of God in us, turning to him through faith in Christ.
For us who claim to be followers of Christ, self-awareness must go deeper than just developing a “positive” perception of self. Christian self-awareness is a matter of embracing the reality (not just a perception) of who we are in Christ. So much of the New Testament points to the transforming work of the Spirit in the life of one who turns to Christ in trusting submission. By faith we “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires” (Romans 13.14 HCSB). We are “to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4.24 NIV; see also Colossians 3.10). It’s not a matter of self-perception alone, but of reaching deep into the core of our being, taking hold of the fullness of our identity in Jesus Christ. I am CHRISTian.
—Keith Y. Jainga