Let's talk about GREED, one of the 7 deadly sins!

#1

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog ... you-greedy

Are You Greedy?
Does greed do more harm or good? And just how greedy are you?

This article summarizes key research and tips from the “Greed” episode of our podcast, Talk Psych to Me. Available on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

“Greedy” is generally a word we use to describe others. But can we benefit from applying it to ourselves? And is greed the root of all suffering or all progress?

Let’s start with a definition: Greed is generally described as an insatiable and selfish desire for more. It could be an endless drive for more money, more fame, more knowledge, more toilet paper, or more power. The operative word is more. To be greedy means to never reach a point of satisfaction.

Is greed good?

Despite greed’s notable position among Christianity's Seven Deadly Sins, and equally bad standing in most other religions, it isn’t immediately clear whether greed does more harm or good. As Adam Smith, a founding thinker of capitalism, wrote, "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard for their own interest.”

Perhaps if we were easily contented, we would live in a more peaceful world, but also a world with less progress. Many of us would be happy to part with the archetype of the greedy, suit-clad Wall Street investor, but would we also want to live in a society without the tireless inventor, scientist, or artist? Then again, this may be an unfair question to pose since we can only answer through the lens of our real (greedy) vs. our hypothetical (greed-free) selves. For better or worse, it’s likely that our species has evolved with some degree of greed as a mechanism for survival.

Does greed cause harm?

While religion points to greed as the source of corruption and unethical behavior, psychology paints a more nuanced picture. Joanne Muñiz studied white-collar criminals who committed acts of fraud even though they were already wealthy — the perfect picture of greed gone too far. What these individuals had in common was a need for recognition, a fear of failure, early-life financial scarcity, and a combination of personality traits referred to as the dark-triad: narcissism (thinking you’re better than everyone), psychopathy (a lack of empathy), and Machiavellianism (the tendency to manipulate others). In short, greed appears to be just one stop on the road to illegal behavior.

Greed doesn’t seem to be sufficient to cause criminal activity, but how about plain selfish activity? Seuntjens found that people who score higher on the Dispositional Greed Scale tend to place their own interests above others. For example, in an experiment known as the Dictator Game, participants received $10 and had to decide how to distribute it between themselves and another participant, with no negative consequences even if they chose to keep the full amount for themselves. On average, people kept $6.31, but as people’s DGS scores rose, the amount they gave to others declined.

So, greed prevents us from giving, but it doesn’t seem to cause taking. That said, there is one clear victim of greed that Seuntjens identified in her research: Greed ultimately hurts the greedy. And a higher DGS score goes hand-in-hand with lower life satisfaction.

#2

Greed? That is way up there -- perhaps tops used on marks for scams. So is lust-- people get played-up on that, too, also.

Frater I*I · #3

Greedy is good....

That's what Gordon Gekko tells me....

#4

Umm ... she studied a group of criminals to answer the question, does greed cause harm?

How did she know they were criminals? They got caught. They were a special category - unsuccessful criminals.

Thomas Edison was motivated by greed, especially when he was young and a telegraph operator who wanted to make his way in the world. Instead of committing crimes, he worked really hard.

Does greed cause harm?

Abraham Lincoln studied law, on his own, because he was greedy and wanted to make a lot of money. When he started, he had no idea of going into politics. He just wanted to make money.

Does greed cause harm?

George Washington was an extremely greedy man. But not a white collar criminal. I think he and his elk - greedy, hardworking, honest people - were not included in the study.

#5

I think that for some people they have no conscious awareness of greed (or my preferred word, cupidity.) They either rationalize their behavior or they think that it is normal.

Others view greed as a way to keep score with so-called competitors. More money, more power, more influence. That inertia is real hard to change.

In many cases it is our egos that have run amok. In other cases it is fear. Fear that someone else will fill any void or vacuum that we leave because we have concluded that we are in a good spot and are satisfied or happy.

Until we evolve different DNA, I am afraid that humankind's cupidity will pervade all segments of society.