Neutralization: Denial Of A Norm Or Blaming The Victim

The first technique of neutralization is the denial of responsibility which is when we claim that we had no choice to do the behavior or that we were forced to that particular behavior. An example is cheating on a test because you did not study. You may not take responsibility for your action and claim that you had no choice because you have to do well to graduate. The second technique of neutralization is the denial of injury which occurs when we justify that our behavior was not wrong or a problem because nobody got hurt. For example, a teenager may download illegal copies of music without paying for them and rationalize his behavior by saying nobody got hurt so it shouldn’t be a problem. A third technique of neutralization is denial of a victim or blaming the victim. We acknowledge that people were hurt as a result of our behaviors but we justify our actions by stating that it was the victim’s fault because they “deserved what they got.” An example of this is blaming a teacher for making their exams difficult which is the reason you had to cheat in order to do well. A fourth technique of neutralization is condemnation of the condemners which occurs when we deny that others have the right to judge us. An example of this technique is a friend lecturing you not to

We reject labels that people put on us and use different techniques of neutralization to deflect the norms of society. By neutralizing the moral demands of society we are able to justify our behaviors so we don’t have to feel bad about our actions. Labels also impact how we views others and define what kind of people they are. Some individuals enjoy having a deviant identity such as bikers, body art, or hairstyles that reject adult norms. This theory focuses on how our definitions of situations influence whether we deviate or conform to social