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Spies who betray their own country have long been perceived as a more unusual type of criminal than those typically involved in other kinds of crime. However, a new perspective may be considered. Treasonous spies do not merit special regard or a special classification. On the contrary, these individuals may be regarded as merely being another variety of white-collar criminals who became involved in matters of national security with possible international ramifications (Stone, 1989). Some theorize that, however serious the consequences of their acts, the behavior of spies who perform espionage against their own country may best be understood as having similar motivations to other greedy white-collar criminals. The public s perception has been that nearly all American spies who have been caught have been motivated by money. But, is this an accurate assumption?
In an article published in The Boston Globe, Adam Pertman explores "why they spy" and concludes that the common denominator today among "people who export their nation's secrets" is best described by a Hollywood screenwriter's line: "Show me the money" (Pertman, 2001). Others, such as FBI analysts, psychiatrists, and researchers, agree that rationales including disenchantment with specific government policies, feeling disgruntled with their own jobs, problems with self-esteem, living out fantasies of a more flamboyant lifestyle, and experiencing a loyalty conflict (cognitive dissonance) because of one's ancestry or religion may be among the array of reasons that prompt men and women to act out the betrayal.
"People usually spy for some combination of emotional gratification and remuneration," stated John Pike, the director of GlobalSecurity.org, a Washington, D.C-based policy organization. "But, whatever their reason, in almost all cases today, money is how people keep score" (as cited in Pertman, 2001).
Scientific effort has been made to develop a two-factor theory or model for motivations that lead to traitorous spy behaviors. One researcher identified a bipolar effect with money (or greed) at one end and ideology at the other (Stone, 2001). Discussions with past or present governmentemployed counterintelligence officials led him to conceptualize an additional orientation, that of being disaffected or dissatisfied with how one's self has been treated by others, including organizations or political entities. A continuum was created wherein disaffected was at one end, and the opposite end was labeled...