Table Of ContentDeviant and Criminal Behavior
in the Workplace
PSYCHOLOGY AND CRIME
General Editors: Brian Bornstein, University of Nebraska, and
Monica Miller, University of Nevada, Reno
The Perversion of Youth: Controversies in the Assessment
and Treatment of Juvenile Sex Offenders
Frank C. DiCataldo
Jury Decision Making: The State of the Science
Dennis J. Devine
Deviant and Criminal Behavior in the Workplace
Edited by Steven M. Elias
Deviant and Criminal Behavior in the Workplace
Edited by Steven M. Elias
a
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
www.nyupress.org
© 2013 by New York University
All rights reserved
References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing.
Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that
may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Deviant and criminal behavior in the workplace / edited by Steven M. Elias.
p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8147-2260-2 (cl : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8147-2261-9 (pb : alk. paper) —
ISBN 978-0-8147-2262-6 (ebook) — ISBN 978-0-8147-2289-3 (ebook)
1. Employee crimes — Psychological aspects. 2. Problem employees — Psychology.
3. Violence in the workplace. 4. Industrial psychology. I. Elias, Steven M.
HF5549.5.E43D48 2012
364.3 — dc23 2012034076
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,
and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials
to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books.
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Emile, Alexander, and Lucas
—SME
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Contents
Preface ix
Part I: Introduction
1 Conceptual Foundations: Insights from Criminology 3
and the Sociology of Work
Randy Hodson and Gary F. Jensen
Part II: Employee Characteristics Associated
with Deviant Workplace Behavior
2 Emotions and Deviance 19
Rebecca Michalak and Neal M. Ashkanasy
3 Born to Be Deviant? An Examination of the Relationship 50
between Workplace Deviance and Employee Personality
Christine A. Henle and Michael A. Gross
4 The Role of Occupational Stress in Workplace Deviance 77
Sharon L. Grant
Part III: Organizational Influences on
Deviant Workplace Behavior
5 Accounting in Organizational Environments: 101
Contextualizing Rules and Fraud
William L. Smith, Brandon Hill Haines, and Cindy L. Seipel
6 Human Resource Management and Deviant/Criminal 128
Behavior in Organizations
Philip G. Benson, Glennis M. Hanley, and Wesley A. Scroggins
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viii << Contents
Part IV: The Role of (In)Justice and Social Power
in Deviant Workplace Behavior
7 Hazards of Justice: Egocentric Bias, Moral Judgments, 155
and Revenge-Seeking
Russell Cropanzano and Carolina Moliner
8 The Role of Social Power in Sexual Harassment 178
and Job Discrimination
Steven M. Elias, Lindsey A. Gibson, and Chet E. Barney
Part V: Violence in the Workplace
9 When Employees Turn Violent: The Potential Role 197
of Workplace Culture in Triggering Deviant Behavior
Ricky W. Griffin and Yvette P. Lopez
10 Workplace Violence: Prevention and Aftermath 221
Allen K. Hess and Clara E. Hess
About the Contributors 247
Index 255
Preface
Several years ago, Allen K. Hess contacted me and asked if I would be inter-
ested in editing a book on deviant workplace behavior. Allen, up until his
untimely death in 2010, was the Psychology & Crime Series editor for NYU
Press. How important a topic is deviant workplace behavior? All one need do
is turn on the evening news or read a local newspaper to be reminded of the
fact that deviant and criminal behavior are common occurrences in the work-
place. Indeed, most employees have either witnessed or engaged in some form
of counterproductive, insidious, abhorrent, or illegal behavior while on the
job. Be it a CEO who “cooks the books,” an hourly wage employee who “bor-
rows” office supplies, or a disgruntled employee who commits a heinous act
of violence, inappropriate behavior at work is pandemic. As Allen once told
me, “Crime in the workplace extends from the mailroom to the boardroom.”
I believe, as Allen did, that gaining insight into the psychological and organi-
zational causes of deviant and criminal behavior in the workplace will make a
significant contribution to a number of disciplines, as well as society in general.
An interaction between psychological and organizational factors is almost
always involved when an employee engages in deviant and/or criminal
behavior in the workplace. Unfortunately, given the overabundance of psy-
chological factors linked to such behavior in these environments, it is impos-
sible for a single book to address every topic of importance and relevance to
the subject. However, a review of the academic literature and popular press
will reveal several trends that are informative in terms of ensuring the topics
selected for inclusion make a significant contribution.
In chapter 1 of this volume, Randy Hodson and Gary F. Jensen provide a
wonderful overview of criminology and the sociology of work in relation to
deviant workplace behavior. Two noteworthy points from this chapter are
worth mentioning here. First, the authors convincingly point out the fact
that research and attention focusing on crime in the workplace is lacking.
Second, they note that injustice and abuses of power are frequently at work
when deviant workplace behavior occurs. This point resonates throughout
this volume.
>> ix
