As discussed in Hinduja’s (2007) article, he states that the researchers Gresham Sykes and David Matza introduced their theory in 1957 to explain why some juveniles are able to ignore normative societal constraints in order to justify engaging in deviant behavior. They claim that the laws, morals, and ethics that these individuals follow are not rejected by the juveniles entirely, instead these constraints are temporarily shelved for the time being so that the person will obtain a sense of liberation from the law. These people will try to convince themselves that their actions are justified, whether through verbal persuasion or mental manipulation, they will argue that they were in the right regardless of whether or not the their behavior was considered culturally …show more content…
Sykes and Matza also proposed five techniques that can be used in the neutralizing process, which are denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of victim, condemnation of the condemners, and appeal to higher loyalties. Denial of responsibility is when some deviants places the blame on other people, factors, or extenuating circumstances for enticing or forcing them to commit an offense. For example some people might claim that the pirated software on their computer was already there when they got it so the blame should be placed on the previous owner. Denial of injury is when deviants disagree that anyone or any business will suffered serious consequences from their actions. For example some people who illegally download software will argue that their actions do not cause any negative repercussions as they claim that even if they did have the money they still would have avoided paying for the products thus as a result the businesses that are affected by this wouldn’t have gained any additional profit either way. Denial of victim or blaming the victim is the claim that no one suffered from any serious harm or that the victim