What is the Psychology Behind Good and Evil Behavior?

Everyday choices are made. These choices eventually become part of who we are and what we stand for. The question we then ask ourselves is what makes a choice good, and what makes it bad? How does one decide between the two? What draws a definite line between a good and bad choice? We all have choices to make but what is the psychology behind these good and bad choices? Through my research I have discovered what is considered good and evil actions, the three main factors behind making a choice, and how all decision is based primarily on two different beliefs.

Good and Evil Actions

Often time’s people discover throughout life that there are different kinds of conflicts. For example, when a person has to decide between to equally pleasing desserts this is called an approach-approach conflict. How then does someone decide to make a choice? Often times as human beings we incorporate into our agency of what others would think of our decision. We then decide on the consequences of our actions and whether or not society would treat the action as socially acceptable. If the choice seems to be met as “socially acceptable” it can then be determined that the choice is a “good” choice. J. David Velleman wrote a book based off the teachings of the Philosopher Richard Brandt entitled Brandt’s Definition of “Good”. In it he defined the scope of a good choice. “The patient draws on ‘the propositions justified by publicly accessible evidence… and the principles of logic; and he repeatedly and vividly, every item of such information that stands to exert a specific effect on his desires” (Velleman 1). The quote clearly states that people base their choices according to their desires and the effects of fulfilling that desire. A few questions one must ask are: will this choice fulfill my desires, and will the consequence of following through with the action, be socially acceptable? In society the choices considered to be good are simply those that society can accept. Then what exactly is evil? In the book The Social Psychology of Good and Evil by Arthur G. Miller, it states:

“In some instances, evil refers to particularly onerous or egregious acts, such as genocide, torture, terrorism, rape, or child abuse. In these contexts, social scientists appear to use the term evil in a way similar to that of the layperson. In other cases, the term is used not solely with respect to the horrific nature of the acts but more specifically in relation to the proclivity of ordinary or ‘good’ persons to engage in a wide variety of aggressive or criminal actions” (Miller 3).