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... > social science subjects > criminology and criminal justice > criminology > criminological theory > psychological theories of crime > neutralization theory
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Preferred term

neutralization theory  

Definition

  • In the 1950s, the criminologists Gresham Sykes and David Matza sought to explain how juveniles who commit delinquent acts are able to do so while still accepting conventional social values and norms. They concluded that juveniles would be able to commit such acts only if they could temporarily overcome their sense of a moral obligation to obey the law by using one or more of the mental techniques of neutralization, mechanisms to block the potential guilt and negative self-image associated with violating social norms. [Source: Encyclopedia of Social Deviance; Neutralization Theory]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/neutralization_theory

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