Cheating is defined as an act of dishonesty with the aim of gaining advantage. By analyzing cheating from a psychological view, it is right to conclude that cheating is not an infection. According to Russell, Baker & McNutty (2013) the attachment theory is one of the theoretical frameworks that can be used to explore the concept of cheating and how it manifests. In their study, the three authors states that people who develop a secure attachment during their upbringing tend to believe that their significant others care for them and so their chances of cheating are low. The vice versa applies where those who have attachment problems will be more susceptible to cheating as they try to cope with their attachment challenges. They will also tend to be less attached to the people in their lives and so the chances of cheating are higher.
Cheating is simply a pattern of behavior which can be understood by analyzing the thought patterns. Clinical psychologists argue that there different patterns that lead to cheating as well as varying reasons. The patterns involved can be used to challenge the view that cheating is an infection. People cheat individual reasons. For instance, in marriages, infidelity which is a form of cheating is more common among men. The difference has been explained from a biological point of view. Men have more testosterone and so they have more desire to engage in sexual activities. However, other factors such as personality play an important role in a person’s decision to cheat. Therefore, from a marital point of view, cheating is a way happens when due to individual reasons such as anger and revenge, falling out of love and situational factors such as distance. Since some partners still manage to live a life of fidelity even after being exposed to these conditions, cheating is viewed as a manageable issue that only happens when individuals accept to fall to the temptations presenting in their lives.
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Still on the issue of cheating in relationships, Knopp et al. (2017) argue that cheating in a past relationship may influence an individual to either continue with the same trend or change for the better. The results are equally varying. A person whose relationship ended because of cheating may take a vow never to cheat and live to the promise while another one may have normalized the art of cheating that they will always cheat no matter the situation. Cheating can therefore be understood from a behavioral perspective only. According to Thornton & Nagurney (2011) cheating can only be understood from a perspective of biology and personality. Some personalities predispose people to cheating as they struggle to maneuver after making errors in life. Cheating therefore presents as an easy way to cover up for failures to meet expectations or set goals.
In a school setting, the issue of academic dishonesty is a good example that can be used to understand the pathophysiology of cheating. Cheating in school settings happen when students fail to reach the expectations of their teachers, lecturers or parents. The students may also try to use shortcuts when they realize they have not invested enough time to guarantee them good grades in their examinations. In such a case, it is wrong to view cheating as an infection. It is simply a coping mechanism that happens to bridge the gap between the failure and expected outcomes. In an examination, a student who has not been revising may consider entering with a phone to cheat his way into success. This is an adaptive mechanism and not mainly an infection. The same happens when a student fails to come to school on flimsy reasons and believes they will be punished for it. In such a case, lying makes more sense to solve the short term problem and bridge the gap between the failure to come to school and expected behavior for a student.
Behavioral correlates of cheating show that cheating works in a reward mechanism. According to Isakov & Tripathy (2017) academic dishonesty continues to be a major problem in universities and schools in America. The rampancy of the problem is based on the rewards that come with it. In any case, the students believe that they will maneuver through cheating and match their scores with those who invested their time and resources to get good grades. Cheating cannot be thought as an infection since it occurs spontaneously to cope with emerging challenges. A teenager who reports home late after a party will most likely cheat to maneuver through the problem.
Cheating can be considered to be a coping mechanism and not an infection. When thinking from an infection point of view, cheating can be considered to be a form of immunity to that protects a person from different situations. In the cases given, cheating happens when a person believes that they can use dishonesty to get undue rewards or benefits. Cheating can also happen due to socialization. If a student is in a group of students engaging in academic dishonesty, he will most likely adopt similar behavior. The trend can be understood from a behavioral perspective by analyzing the patterns associated with the problem and coping elements involved. It is easier handling cheating when the motive behind it is established. Furthermore, since cheating works in a reward structure, if severe punishment is given, the problem will be managed.
References
Knopp, K., Scott, S., Ritchie, L., Rhoades, G. K., Markman, H. J., & Stanley, S. M. (2017). Once a Cheater, Always a Cheater? Serial Infidelity Across Subsequent Relationships. Archives of Sexual Behavior , 46 (8), 2301–2311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-1018-1
Isakov, M., & Tripathy, A. (2017). Behavioral correlates of cheating: Environmental specificity and reward expectation. PloS one , 12 (10), e0186054. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186054
Thornton, V., & Nagurney, A. (2011). What is infidelity? Perceptions based on biological sex and personality. Psychology Research and Behavior Management , 4 , 51–58. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S16876
Russell, V. M., Baker, L. R., & McNulty, J. K. (2013). Attachment insecurity and infidelity in marriage: do studies of dating relationships really inform us about marriage? Journal of Family Psychology : Journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) , 27 (2), 242–251. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032118
