Is Corruption Natural Nature?

JAKARTA - Corruption is one of the worst forms of damage that can occur in democratic communities.

According to Transparency International data, Indonesia's Corruption Perception Index in 2023 is ranked 115 out of 180 countries, with a score of 34 out of 100.

The Corruption Perception Index is calculated based on the level of perception or public opinion about corruption that occurs in public and political positions. Thus, the lower the score, the higher the perception of corruption in the country.

Even though it is considered an immoral act, after all, corruption cases in Indonesia seem endless. Even from year to year, state losses due to corruption are increasing.

Susana P. Gaytan, senior lecturer in Fisiology, University of Seville, Spain learned how the political power and social context of a country affects brain activity when deciding corruption or immoral acts.

DictionaryMerriam Websterdefines corruption as an dishonest or illegal act committed by a ruling person. If almost everyone agrees that corruption is very suffering and detrimental, why are there still corrupt people?

For some people, corruption is called an inseparable part of human nature. For others, corruption is something that is learned and embedded over time.

However, one thing to note is that corruption is not a disease, and of course, it can be avoided.

Citing the University of Sussex, the dominant narrative regarding corruption centers on a series of "rational choices" made by actors, in this case the perpetrators of corruption.

The approach views humans as programmed creatures to take care of their own interests. This approach also states that if actors are given the opportunity to do so, it's no wonder they take advantage of it.

However, experts who are struggling with neuroscience or neuroscience are starting to learn how the political power and social context of a country affects brain activity when deciding corruption or committing immoral acts.

In a healthy brain, the temptation to engage in corrupt behavior should include a conflict between the push to be responsible or commit the crime.

According to the study, "turning over to temptation" or finally giving in to corruption requires the work of several brain systems. In this case, there is a brain circuit that regulates respect, self-control, and moral evaluation of personal behavior.

Among all that, the circuit that has the most role is related to awarding certain behaviors and then motivating it to repeat it.

As a result, every time they succeed in corruption, the connection between neurons that drives the repetition of this behavior strengthens. This then disrupts the balance between the boost and control in the brain, triggering acts of corruption.

Actually, the human brain also has a structure that regulates long-term planning and inhibits thrust. This structure has the function of restraining temptation from instantaneous satisfaction. However, the performance of the reward circuit hinders this structure from working.

In addition, the brain also relies heavily on the guidelines that when you are somewhere, adapt to the prevailing habits. This can certainly hinder efforts to fight corruption.

So that when suspicious behavior is considered common in an environment, it is dangerous because the brain considers this a natural behavior.

Solomon Asch's experiment several years ago also showed that social pressure affects individual judgment, even when correct responses were deemed wrong.

Therefore, in an environment that normalizes corruption, the pressure of a group of friends or peers activates a social brain area that encourages imitating group behavior even though it is contrary to personal ethical principles.

And, if exposure to corrupt practices lasts from time to time, the sensitivity of the brain and nerves will gradually decrease.

This repeat will weaken the response and nerves responsible for identifying the dangers and potentially silencing the moral alarm signal in the brain.