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Reading Assignment 3
Cultural Transmission/Social Learning Theory
11. Techniques of Neutralization: A Theory of Delinquency, Gresham M. Sykes, David Matza
12. The Influence of Situational Ethics on Cheating Among College Students, Donald L. McCabe
Opportunity Theory
13. Social Structure and Anomie, Robert K. Merton
14. Homeboys, Dope Fiends, Legits, and New Jacks, John M. Hagedorn
Deliverable Length: 2-3 pages
Due: Friday, February 19, 11:55 am
Answer two questions:
1. Discuss the five techniques of neutralization according to Sykes and Matza, including examples for each type. Are these techniques ever recognized by the legal system as justifications of behavior?
2. Summarize McCabe’s findings on the use of techniques of neutralization among cheating college students. Which were the most- and least-frequently used of the five types.
3. Discus Merton’s anomie theory of deviance, including the primary cultural goal in America; the conflict between cultural goals and institutionalized means for achieving goals; and the five spe3cific adaptations to anomie, with examples.
