Skip to main content

Ethical Choice in Real Estate: Selected Perspectives from Economics, Psychology, and Sociology

  • Chapter
Book cover Ethics in Real Estate

Part of the book series: Research Issues in Real Estate ((RIRE,volume 5))

Abstract

This chapter considers real estate ethics from the perspective of choice, or decision making, under uncertainty. The emphasis is on initiating a synthesis between economics, psychology, and sociology in order to broaden the scope of explorations of choice in real estate ethics. Starting with the generally accepted normative decision-making framework provided by rational choice theory, the study explores findings in psychology and sociology that describe how humans make decisions in the real world. Some of these findings may be useful in adding to the understanding of decision making provided by rational choice theory. It is suggested that a multidisciplinary framework, combining philosophy and science, is essential for significant progress in real estate ethics. Possible preliminary elements of such a framework are presented in the appendix.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Adams, J. Stacy. (1963). “Toward an Understanding of Inequity.” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 67: 422–436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron, Jonathan. (1993). Morality and Rational Choice. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumol, William J., and Alan S. Blinder. (1982). Economics Principles and Policy (2nd ed.). New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bear, Larry Alan, and Rita Maldonado-Bear. (1994). Free Markets, Finance, Ethics, and Law. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beatley, Timothy. (1994). Ethical Land Use: Principles of Policy and Planning. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boatwright, John R. (1993). Ethics and the Conduct of Business. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Building Owners and Managers International (BOMI). Institute. (1995). Ethics Is Good Business. Arnold, MD: BOMI Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calvin, William H. (1996). How Brains Think. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter, Stephen L. (1996). Integrity. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clapp, John M., Michael A. Goldberg, and Dowell Myers. (1994). “Crisis in Methodology: Paradigms vs. Practice in Real Estate Research.” In James R. DeLisle and J. Sa-Aadu (eds.), Appraisal, Market Analysis, and Public Policy in Real Estate (pp. 107–131). Boston: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coase, R.H. (1988). The Firm, the Market, and the Law. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, Jules L. (1988). Markets, Morals and the Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawes, Robyn M. (1988). Rational Choice in an Uncertain World. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace.

    Google Scholar 

  • de Bondt, Werner F.M. (1995). “Real Estate Cycles and Animal Spirits.” In Joseph L. Pagliari, Jr. (ed.), The Handbook of Real Estate Portfolio Management (pp. 1153–1183). Chicago: Irwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diaz III, Julian. (1993). “Science, Engineering and the Discipline of Real Estate.” Journal of Real Estate Literature 1: 183–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dorner, Dietrich. (1996). The Logic of Failure. New York: Metropolitan Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Etzioni, Amitai. (1992). “Normative-Affective Factors: Toward a New Decision-Making Model.” In Mary Zey (ed.), Decision Making: Alternatives to Rational Choice Models (pp. 89–111). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, Jonathan St. B.T. (1989). Bias in Human Reasoning. Hove, Eng.: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrell, O.C., and John Fraedrich. (1994). Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases (2nd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisk, Raymond P. (1982). “Toward a Theoretical Framework for Marketing Ethics.” In (ed.), Marketing Theory: Philosophy of Science Perspectives. Chicago: American Marketing Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiske, Alan Page. (1992). “The Four Elementary Forms of Sociality: Framework for a Unified Theory of Social Relations.” Psychological Review 99: 689–723.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flanagan, Owen. (1991). The Science of the Mind (2nd ed.). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuller, Lon L. (1964). The Morality of Law (rev. ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, Howard. (1985). The Mind’s New Science. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldman, Alvin I. (1993). Philosophical Applications of Cognitive Science. Boulder: Westview Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grissom, Terry V., and Crocker H. Liu. (1994). “The Search for a Discipline: The Philosophy and the Paradigms.” In James R. DeLisle and J. Sa-Aadu (eds.), Appraisal, MarketAnalysis, and Public Policy in Real Estate (pp. 65–106). Boston: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansson, Sven Ove. (1996). “Decision Making Under Great Uncertainty.” Philosophy of the Social Sciences 26: 369–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hargreaves Heap, Shaun, Martin Hollis, Bruce Lyons, Robert Sugden, and Albert Weale. (1992). The Theory of Choice. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hart, Stuart L. (1986). “Steering the Path Between Ambiguity and Overload: Planning as Strategic Social Process.” In Milan J. Dluhy and Kan Chen (eds.), Interdisciplinary Planning:A Perspective for the Future (pp. 107–123). New Brunswick, NJ: Center for Urban Policy Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hausman, Daniel M., and Michael S. McPherson. (1996). Economic Analysis and Moral Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hendler, Sue. (1995). Planning Ethics: A Reader in Planning Theory Practice and Education. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for Urban Policy Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howe, Elizabeth. (1994). Acting on Ethics in City Planning. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for Urban Policy Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Izzo, George. (1998). “Cognitive Moral Development and Real Estate Practitioners.” Paper presented at the 1998 Annual Meetings of the American Real Estate Society, Monterey, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaffe, Austin J. (1994). “Is There a Body of Knowledge in Real Estate? Some Mutterings About Mattering.” In James R. DeLisle and J. Sa-Aadu (eds.), Appraisal, Market Analysis, and Public Policy in Real Estate (pp. 133–146). Boston: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaffe, Austin J., and C.F. Sirmans. (1995). Fundamentals of Real Estate Investment (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, Mark L. (1996). “How Moral Psychology Changes Moral Theory.” In Larry May, Marilyn Friedman, and Andy Clark (eds.), Mind and Morals (pp. 45–68). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, Daniel, and Amos Tversky. (1979). “Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk.” Econometrica 47 (March): 263–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohlberg, Lawrence. (1981). The Philosophy of Moral Development. San Francisco: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohlberg, Lawrence. (1984). The Psychology of Moral Development. San Francisco: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn, Thomas S. (1970). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lachman, Roy, Janet Lachman, and Earl C. Butterfield. (1979). Cognitive Psychology and Information Processing:An Introduction. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Long, Deborah H. (1995). Doing the Right Thing. Scottsdale, AZ: Gorsuch Scarisbrick.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacCrimmon, Kenneth R., and Donald A. Wehrung. (1986). Taking Risks. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maital, Shlomo. (1982). Minds, Markets, and Money. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • May, Larry, Marilyn Friedman, and Andy Clark (eds.). (1996). Minds and Morals. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCoy, Bowen H. “Buzz.” (1994). “On Business Ethics.” Real Estate Issues 19: 1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Midgley, Mary. (1993). Can’t We Make Moral Judgments? New York: St. Martin’s Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, G.A. (1956). “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information.” Psychological Review 63: 81–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neisser, Ulric. (1976). Cognition and Reality: Principles and Implications of Cognitive Psychology. New York: Freeman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ornstein, Robert. (1991). The Evolution of Consciousness: The Origins of the Way We Think. New York: Simon & Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, Donald. (1996). Does the Center Hold? An Introduction to Western Philosophy (2nd ed.). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Payne, John W. (1985). “Psychology of Risky Decisions.” In George Wright (ed.), Behavioral Decision Making. New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pivar, William H. (1979). Real Estate Ethics. Chicago: Real Estate Education Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pojman, Louis P.(1995). Ethical Theory (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pyhrr, Stephen A., James R. Cooper, Larry E. Wofford, Steven D. Kapplin, and Paul D. Lapides. (1989). Real Estate Investment: Strategy, Analysis, Decisions (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rabinowitz, Mitchell (ed.). (1993). Cognitive Science Foundations of Instruction. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reason, James. (1990). Human Error. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rest, James R. (1994). “Background: Theory and Research.” In James R. Rest and Darcia Narvaez (eds.), Moral Development in the Professions (pp. 1–26). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rest, James R., and Darcia Narvaez. (1994). Moral Development in the Professions. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidtz, David. (1995). Rational Choice and Moral Agency. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sher, George. (1987). Moral Philosophy. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, Herbert A. “On How to Decide What to Do.” Bell Journal of Economics 9 (Autumn): 494–507.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, Herbert A., et al. (1992). “Decision Making and Problem Solving.” In Mary Zey (ed.), Decision Making (pp. 32–53). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singer, Peter. (1993). A Companion to Ethics. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solin, Les. (1997). Professional Practice Manual. Washington, DC: American Planning Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, Robert. C. (1986). The Big Questions (2nd ed.). San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, Hamish. (1995). “A Critique of Instrumental Reason in Economics.” Economics and Philosophy 11: 57–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, William M. (1995). Work and Integrity: The Crisis and Promise of Professionalism in America. New York: Harper Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tarantello, Rocky. (1994). “Expert v Advocate: The Ethical Dilemma of Expert Testimony.” Real Estate Issues 19: 8–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thaler, Richard H. (1991). Quasi Rational Economics. New York: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thaler, Richard H. (1993). Advances in Behavioral Finance. New York: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vallance, Elizabeth. (1995). Business Ethics at Work. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Von Neumann, John, and Oskar Morgenstern. (1944/1972). Theory of Games and Economic Behavior. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, John R. (1994). “Lofty Expressions of Ethical Conduct Do Not Insure Adherence.” Real Estate Issues 19: 26–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wisudha, Ayleen D. (1985). “Design of Decision-Aiding Systems.” In George Wright (ed.), Behavioral Decision Making (pp. 235–256). New York: Plenum Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wofford, Larry E. (1985). “Cognitive Processes as Determinants of Real Estate Investment Decisions.” Appraisal Journal 53 (July): 388–395.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zey, Mary (ed.). (1992). Decision Making. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Stephen E. Roulac

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Wofford, L.E. (1999). Ethical Choice in Real Estate: Selected Perspectives from Economics, Psychology, and Sociology. In: Roulac, S.E. (eds) Ethics in Real Estate. Research Issues in Real Estate, vol 5. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2995-5_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2995-5_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-5049-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2995-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics