When Being Good Is Bad: An Expansion of Neutralization Theory*

Abstract

Traditional subcultural theorists maintain that offenders operate in an environment in which oppositional norms catering to ethics of violence, toughness and respect dominate the social landscape. Such offenders actively reject middle-class value systems and operate beyond the boundaries of what is considered decent society. In their seminal work introducing Neutralization Theory, Sykes and Matza criticized such subcultural perspectives for overemphasizing the extent to which actors reject mainstream values (1957). They maintained that offenders and delinquents are aware of conventional values, understand that their offending is wrong, and self-talk before offending to mitigate the anticipated shame and guilt associated with violating societal norms. This study analyzes street offender decision making and behavior in an effort to expand that perspective. The analyzed data was taken from interviews of hardcore, active, noninstitutionalized (uncaught) drug dealers, street robbers and carjackers to determine how they neutralize to support their offending. Findings indicate that these offenders strive to protect a self-image consistent with a code of the streets orientation rather than a conventional one. That is, they neutralize being good *

English Learning Achievement and EFL Learners’ Cheating Attitudes and Cheating Behaviors

“…Students who cheat explain their wrong behavior by giving justifications or making excuses (Topalli, 2005). Justifications allow cheaters to accept the responsibility of what they have done while they deny its gravity.…”

"Might Not Be a Tomorrow": A Multi-Methods Approach to Anticipated Early Death and Youth Crime

“…At the same time, criminological research has highlighted the existence of hard-core offenders who appear to be fearless in the face of these dangers (Anderson, 1994(Anderson, , 1999Hoffman, 2004;Jacobs et al, 2000;McCarthy and Hagan, 2005;Topalli, 2005a). This population includes individuals who have experienced stabbings, shootings, or other lifethreatening injuries and yet remain undeterred from a risky and criminal lifestyle (Hoffman, 2004).…”

“…According to Katz (1988: 233), some offenders pride themselves on their "hardman" image-having the ability to face chaos and death "without a quiver or a qualm" (also see Åkerström, 1985;Topalli, 2005a).…”

“…Their estimates were used to construct a "future lifespan assessment" scale, which was found to be negatively correlated (-0.22 Alternatively, young people who are already committed to a criminal lifestyle may have an interest in portraying themselves as fearless, and even as courting death. According to Katz (1988: 233), some offenders pride themselves on their "hardman" image-having the ability to face chaos and death "without a quiver or a qualm" (also see Åkerström, 1985;Topalli, 2005a).…”

“…This approach allowed participants to respond freely and to introduce their own concepts and categories, providing us with a more comprehensive and rich set of data to explore. This approach has been used successfully in many previous ethnographic studies of active offenders (e.g., Jacobs et al, 2000;Jacobs and Wright, 1999;Topalli, 2005a; Topalli and 22 Wright, 2004; Decker, 1994, 1997). Interviews focused on the participants' perceptions of risk-with particular emphasis on the risk of future injury or early death-and the extent to which these perceptions influenced their attitudes and behaviors related to offending.…”