Erin Brockovich & Corporate Ethics
Deviant Behavior
Eric Brockovich, a film released in 2000, is a dramatization of a true story of a woman who became a legal assistant through the sheer force of her personality -- and after discovering evidence that people were being poisoned by toxins from a Pacific Gas and Electricity (PG&E) plant -- nearly single-handedly -- successfully brings a lawsuit against the company ("IMDB," 2011). The film provides a verstehen, or filtered understanding, of the embittered contest between the injured citizen and a large corporation with deep pockets ("IMDB," 2011). This paper will first briefly summarize the story. An analysis of the position of the prosecuting legal team follows. And finally, discussion will center on corporate deviance according to Glasser's Choice Theory and the relation of Kohlberg's theory of morality.
The Story
The story takes place in 1993, when following the loss of a personal injury lawsuit, Erin Brockovich asks her attorney, Edward L. Masry, to help her find a job to compensate for the loss ("IMDB," 2011). The attorney hires Erin as a file clerk, and she earnestly tries to get a handle on the job:
Erin is at her desk, staring bewilderingly at the files from the box Ed gave her, which are now spread across her desktop. She sees Anna packing up her things to leave.
ERIN
Anna? With this real estate stuff -- could you remind me, 'cause I'm a little confused about how exactly we do that. Why are there medical records and blood samples in real estate files? (Grant, 2000)
From this point, Erin begins the investigation (Grant, 2000). She curiously reads the medical files of Donna and Peter Jensen, then later asks Ed if she can investigate further (Grant, 2000)....
To be stigmatized by society for a disorder such as schizophrenia is truly unfair, due to the disorder not being the fault of the person afflicted with it. In all social situations, to be stigmatized would make the person an outcast, meaning that the person would be ostracized from all social activities that make up a "normal" lifestyle. In public places, the stigmatized individual would be shunned by everyone which
Deviant Behavior in the Workplace Counterproductive and Deviant Behavior in the Workplace Deviant behavior in the workplace may seem like somewhat of a rarity, but it is actually relatively common. Part of the reason behind that is that there is a broad definition of what is deviant or counterproductive, and part of the reason is that many organizations either ignore the behavior or take care of it internally, so it doesn't make
Potentially any individual who is gifted, if stifled and/or offered negative role models of behavior could become a negatively deviant individual in adulthood or childhood. It is important to point out that many experts conclude that these young people are often feared, due to their differences and the complications of helping such a child are many. (Winner, 1996, p. 2) Deviant people -- whether atypical in personality, intellect, or both
Deviant Behavior In the United States, there are laws which determine the proper punishment for individuals who choose to commit crimes. If someone is under a certain age, then that individual is held less responsible for their choices than an adult who makes that same choice. However, if the crime is severe enough or if there is no appropriate remorse from the perpetrator, District Attorneys and prosecution may decide to try
On the other hand, this exposure to many different systems of morality can also be confusing, and can make any kind of deviant behavior seem acceptable in a relativistic fashion. Why obey the drug laws of the United States when in Amsterdam, there are no such regulations? Setting standards of deviance and normalcy is a negotiation between the rights of the individual and the needs of the community. Sometimes, the
(Gunkel, 2001, p. 8) It would seem, that the line that one oversteps to become deviant is the line that demonstrates the outsmarting of another to create chaos in ones system and potentially do real damage to materials and data. Of coarse this would include any hacking that results in crime, and especially theft and fraud. Hacking in all intense and purpose is deviant behavior, that challenges the current cultural dependence
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now