Motivational processes involved in the behavior of the financial statement fraudster

Purpose This study aims to develop and validate the scale of the Behavioral Regulation for the behavior of the Financial Statement Fraudster, from the perspective of the Organismic Integration Theory (OIT). Design/methodology/approach To achieve the objective of this article, an exploratory and quantitative study was developed. The instrument developed followed all the steps recommended by Koufteros (1999) and MacKenzie et al. (2011), from the elaboration of the constructs based on the theory to the factorial validation of reliability. Findings The tests applied reveal that the instrument has statistical validity and can be applied to models that seek to explain the individual motivations for committing accounting fraud. Research limitations/implications We did not develop a mathematical model. As a suggestion for future studies, it is recommended to focus on developing a mathematical model relating the motivations to commit accounting fraud with variables capable of measuring the quality of governance or related to performance. In addition, study factors that may moderate these relationships. Practical implications The validated instrument can be used by auditors and gatekeepers to detect the risk of fraudulent behavior. Social implications The instrument validated here may be useful to researchers who wish to test the motivations for committing fraud in structural models. Originality/value There is little research on accounting fraud on how to define theoretical constructs (as far as the literature review has reached, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, none has been identified). In addition, few studies have been identified that suggest the OIT as an adequate theoretical lens to illuminate the phenomenon of accounting fraud.