The desire for fairness is an inherent trait in humanity. Whether this manifests as an insistence on egalitarianism or simply an aversion to inequality, it is a well-recognized psychological truth that is displayed in human behavior. Many sets of rules exist to protect a standard of equality, among them being the school’s Honor Code. The Honor Code, despite its comprehensive nature and unique origins among the student body, is in many ways a fairly regular standard for basic conduct that is centered around the idea of academic and personal equity. At the same time, there is a special cultural focus given to scholastic integrity at the school. Despite cheating violations peaking at 70% at the high school level, according to Psychology Today, the school’s pride placed on strong moral identity would imply that violations of the Honor Code remain bizarre exceptions. However, the state of intentional cheating at the school has evidently disproved this idea. To understand why it has become so widespread, the issue must be viewed as one of more than simple self-interest. Instead, it is driven by a deeper moral reasoning that students use to justify their actions to themselves. 

To understand and empathize with cheating as an issue, it is necessary to understand the motivation behind cheating. First, students at this school are placed under extreme academic pressure. Though this is a universally known fact and even regarded with some level of pride, it is unquestionably a factor that could push a student toward breaking the rules for their own benefit. A consistent emphasis on a high standard of performance is enforced by the school itself in addition to the expectations of many student’s families as well as themselves. The result of this is that students are almost always experiencing more insistence on scholastic achievement than originates from the school. Again, both the fact that this pressure exists and that it could easily coax a given student towards dishonesty are obvious. That said, students at the school are expected to resist such temptations on moral grounds. Such an ability is the foundation of the Honor Code. In order for this collective morality to fail so widely, there must be an erosion of respect for the system the morality protects.

This erosion is caused by perceived inequity on the part of students. Intentional cheating is only possible in the first place if a lack of respect for the honor system is present and strong enough to become a moral rationalization. When a student makes the decision to cheat, the motivation of stress is almost ubiquitously present. However, the factor that allows the motivation to be acted upon is the belief that breaking the rule is not the wrong thing to do. The most common moralization of this rule-breaking is that the standards of academic rigor are being applied unfairly. It is a common sentiment that at least some problematic inequality is present in certain areas of teaching, grading and testing that might unfairly impact students, all of whom are attempting to succeed academically in the same way. It is of no consequence whether this inequality is real or imagined. Either way, it is an internal validation that destroys the moral superiority of following the rules. In the mind of a cheater, the rules themselves can be broken without guilt if the systems they protect simply are not equitable. That way, the act of cheating is more of a correction of a hindering inequality, and one that an already stressed student is happy to make.

Of course, no rationalization whatsoever can excuse cheating. The extent to which casual honor code violations have been normalized is unquestionably problematic. Nevertheless, it is worth examining the thought processes that make cheating more prevalent, whether or not they are justified. Ultimately, the cheating crisis at the school is not the result of a widespread or even isolated moral degradation in the student body. Instead, it is indicative of a lack of faith in the systems protected by the Honor Code. Students are fed up with perceived unfairness, and no longer feel guilty for taking advantage of a system they do not believe serves everyone equally.