Understanding Miller’s Neutralization Theory: Juvenile Delinquency Essay
One of Walter B. Miller’s core ideas was that different segments of society had their own separate cultures. Miller argued that working-class boys were more prone to participate in delinquent or subversive activity than other boys because they were indoctrinated into a variety of diverse ideals. He said that toughness, adventure, and autonomy are core values in the lower-class culture and that achieving these goals is the fundamental reason for delinquent behavior.
Neutralizations, also known as rationalizations, are defenses and explanations for abnormal conduct. Sykes and Matza identify neutralizations as statements like “I didn’t really hurt anybody,” “They had it coming to them,” and “I didn’t do it for myself” (Kaptein & van Helvoort). There are five primary methods of neutralization: denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of the victim, condemnation of the condemners, and appeal to higher loyalties (Kaptein & van Helvoort). These five neutralization methods, sometimes referred to as “the famous five,” have seen extensive application in a variety of contexts.
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Young people, who call themselves “taggers” or “writers,” engage in street tagging, which encompasses a wide variety of illegal graffiti styles such as pieces, bombs, tags, and throw-ups. Participants’ primary motivation for tagging was to break up the monotony of everyday life. As Hose stated, “I went to write cuz I didn’t have nothing to do” (Vasquez & Vieraitis, 2016). They just needed to go out of the house and engage in something, and street tagging seemed to be the only option for them. As a result, participants believed that their alternatives for dealing with boredom were restricted to things like joining a gang or engaging in street tagging. Tagging was seen as preferable to other possible options, such as gang banging, for several reasons. In addition, it’s generally accepted that adolescence is a time when most people attempt to figure out who they are, grow into their autonomy, and even question the authority of the adults in their life. Many youngsters develop their styles of expression during this time of exploration.
References
Kaptein, M., & Van Helvoort, M. (2019). A model of neutralization techniques. Deviant Behavior, 40(10), 1260-1285.
Vasquez, A., & Vieraitis, L. M. (2016). “It’s just paint”: Street taggers’ use of neutralization techniques. Deviant Behavior, 37(10), 1179-1195.