Neutralization Theory, or Techniques of Neutralization, was developed by which pair?

Neutralization Theory, or Techniques of Neutralization, was developed by which pair?

• A. Gresham Sykes & David Matza
• B. Edwin Sutherland & Robert Merton
• C. Clifford Shaw & Henry McKay
• D. Travis Hirschi & Walter Reckless

Answer: (A)

Neutralization Theory explains how offenders justify deviant acts by temporarily suspending moral sanctions. It was developed by Gresham Sykes and David Matza in 1957, in their work on how delinquents rationalize behavior. They propose that people who break rules often drift between conventional norms and deviant acts, using specific techniques to neutralize guilt: denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of the victim, condemnation of the condemners, and appeal to higher loyalties. This framework shows how someone can engage in wrongdoing while still viewing themselves as respectable, at least in certain moments. The other pairs are associated with different theories—differential association and strain theory (Sutherland and Merton), social disorganization (Shaw and McKay), and social control/containment (Hirschi and Reckless)—not neutralization.

Neutralization Theory explains how offenders justify deviant acts by temporarily suspending moral sanctions. It was developed by Gresham Sykes and David Matza in 1957, in their work on how delinquents rationalize behavior. They propose that people who break rules often drift between conventional norms and deviant acts, using specific techniques to neutralize guilt: denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of the victim, condemnation of the condemners, and appeal to higher loyalties. This framework shows how someone can engage in wrongdoing while still viewing themselves as respectable, at least in certain moments. The other pairs are associated with different theories—differential association and strain theory (Sutherland and Merton), social disorganization (Shaw and McKay), and social control/containment (Hirschi and Reckless)—not neutralization.