SOCI 1080 Chapter Notes - Chapter 15-45: Social Learning Theory, Scapegoating, American Medical Association
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27 the devil made me do it: use of neutralization by shoplifters. Shoplifting may be the most serious crime with which the most people have some personal familiarity. 1 in 10-15 people have shoplifted at some point. Shoplifting represents the most prevalent form of larceny. Two new neutralizations: justification by comparison. If i wasn"t shoplifting i would be doing something more serious : postponement. Hirschi was correct in stating that a post-crime rationalization may serve as a pre-crime neutralization the next time a crime is contemplated. Whether the adaption is truly neutralizing (before the act) or rationalizing (after the act) the result is the same crime without guilt. These burglars are fueled by perpetrators" desire for money. Researchers cited the subjects" behavior and alternation explanations that they steal to gain money for drugs partying, impressing women, and to sustain an overall high lifestyle with the trappings of material success.
