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31 - Neutralization

from Part IV - Legitimacy and Social Norms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2021

By
Stephanie M. Cardwell  and
Heith Copes
Edited by
Benjamin van Rooij  and
D. Daniel Sokol
Benjamin van Rooij
Affiliation:
School of Law, University of Amsterdam
D. Daniel Sokol
Affiliation:
University of Florida
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Summary

Abstract: Neutralization theory helps explain how people overcome the negative emotions associated with engaging in crime. Developed by Gresham Sykes and David Matza (1957), neutralization theory proposes that people use linguistic devices (i.e., techniques of neutralizations) when presented with opportunities to engage in crime. Techniques of neutralization allow individuals to temporarily overcome the deterrent effects of negative emotions (e.g., shame and guilt), preserve their self-image, and reinterpret crime as acceptable. Research testing the theory shows that neutralizations play an important role in the decision to engage in crime and deviance. Evidence also shows that neutralization use can be nullified through a variety of crime prevention and intervention methods. However, there are theoretical issues surrounding the theory, especially in regards to understanding what factors may make people more or less likely to use neutralizations, whether neutralizations come before deviant behavior, whether neutralization use is stable over the life-course, and how neutralization use explains persistence and desistance in criminal behavior over the life-course.

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Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Compliance , pp. 451 - 464
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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