M. Verkuyten et al., RULES FOR BREAKING FORMAL RULES - SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS AND EVERYDAYRULE-GOVERNED BEHAVIOR, The Journal of psychology, 128(5), 1994, pp. 485-497
In this study, we explored the usefulness of the concept of social rep
resentations developed in European social psychology for studying beli
efs about when certain rule-breaking behaviors are considered justifie
d. The relationship between formal rules and human conduct is traditio
nally studied from an individualistic perspective; however, we argue t
hat more attention must be paid to the socially shared nature of knowl
edge and understanding. This approach is illustrated by the idea of ru
les for breaking legal rules. Empirically, we investigated under what
conditions law students in the Netherlands found it acceptable to run
a red traffic light and to evade taxes. The results suggest that there
are socially shared beliefs and understandings about when it is consi
dered acceptable to break specific rules.