DEAN'S LIST DELINQUENTS:

Mararita Bray Sociology Research Group

Gonzaga University Spring 2015

Techniques of Neutralization and

Deviance in Private University Students

Previous studies have primarily focused on the guilty or convicted deviants; more specifically,

the underprivileged and uneducated population. To broaden our understanding of deviance our

perspective must shift to the understudied and rarely caught population of the privileged and

educated.

This brings me to my research questions…

1. What are some of the motivating factors as to why this population commits deviance?

2. Does the culture of college influence higher rates of deviance?

3. Are neutralization techniques used to rationalize deviant behavior within the college

subculture?

Background Literature

Studies have shown that labeling individuals as deviants has a negative effect on their self-concept. This also makes the individual conscious and self-conscious of their wrongful actions (Williams III and McShane, 1988). However, since the college culture changes the general norms set by the “outside” society, students are able to neutralize the effects of their deviance – utilizing their current culture as a means of neutralization.

“The moral injunction against killing, for example,

does not apply to the enemy during combat in time of

war” (Sykes & Matza, 1999).

External demands of society are neutralized by the internal demands of the college subculture (Sykes & Matza, 1999). The delinquent remains committed to the dominant system, yet the violation of the norms are considered acceptable within the subculture (Sykes & Matza, 1999). Individuals who internalized the “college student” identity, do not interpret their behaviors as morally wrong or socially inappropriate (Tewksbury & Mustaine, 1998). Embedded within the college culture, deviance is considered “normative” (Liska & Messner, 1999).

Method

Variables Taken into

Consideration:

Labeling

Techniques of

Neutralization

Deviance

Culture

Survey The General Gonzaga Survey (GGS) is an annual survey administered by the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. Distributed online to a probability sample of 1,427 full-time undergraduates. The survey was emailed to the sample on February 23, 2015, and was closed on March 6th, 2015. A total of 403 students provided enough data to be included in the final data set.

Party Culture

Adherence Questions

1. In college, I can behave in ways that would

not be appropriate outside of college.

2. Heavy drinking has become a normal part of

college life.

3. Students work hard during the week; they

should be allowed to party on the weekends.

4. I think that people who criticize the party

culture at Gonzaga are overreacting Individual indicated whether

they strongly agree, agree, neither, disagree, or strongly

disagree per statement

Deviance Questions

1. Consumed alcohol as a minor?

2. Used a fake ID to buy alcohol/enter a bar?

3. Used marijuana?

4. Used ecstasy/MDMA?

5. Used “hard drugs” (ex. cocaine/crack,

heroin, methamphetamine)?

6. Used a prescription drug (ex, OxyContin,

Adderall) without a prescription? Individual indicated a yes or no

to each of the following statements

Neutralization Questions

1. My drinking habits do not affect

anyone but myself.

2. Drinking makes it easier for me to

relax and enjoy myself.

3. When I am out with my friends,

I feel like I am expected to drink.

4. I trust my friends to keep me safe

when I am drinking with them.

1. As long as I get good grades, people

should not criticize my drinking

habits.

2. Because I work hard at school during

the week, I believe that it’s okay to

drink, even drink heavily, on the

weekends.

3. Once I leave college, I expect that I

will drink less than I do now.

4. I have a high tolerance for alcohol, so

drinking a large amount is not a

problem.

Drinking Questions

1. On average, how many days per week do you drink

alcoholic beverages?

2. On the days that you do consume alcohol, how

many drinks do you usually consume? Please keep

in mind that one drink = 12 ounces of beer (a

standard can), 5 ounces of wine (a standard glass),

or 1.5 ounces of liquor (a standard shot).

3. Thinking back over the last two weeks, how many

times have you consumed the following amounts of

alcohol: For MALES—Five or more drinks in a row.

For FEMALES—Four or more drinks in a row.

4. How does your drinking compare to your friends’

drinking?

Party Culture Adherence

and Deviance

Those who adhere to the party culture the most, participated

in the most amount of deviance – a mean of 2.56 .

Bin

ge D

rin

kin

g %

Number of Party Culture Statements Agreed With

24.2%

17.8%

5.6%

28.9%

8.9%

24.2% 29.8%

47.2%

76.1%

85%

Binge Drinking and

Party Culture Adherence

Conclusion

Although the population sample was small, my findings held a high level of significance. My research clearly shows a relationship between neutralization, deviance and the college culture. As a subculture, the college experience maintains a different set of norms of which the students are held to. This change in the culture allows the “norms” of society to be disregarded, while a majority of the students take on the college student identity. This results in enabling students to rationalize their deviance and neutralize any guilt that would otherwise occur. With my research being limited, it is important to note that not all deviance was accurately reported, nor can one seek to understand the college culture so easily. I hope that with my research, we will be able to move forward and better understand the motivations of college delinquents.

References

Chambliss, William. 1973. "The Saints and the

Roughnecks." Society 11(1):24-31.

Liska, Allen and Steven Messner. 1999. "The Labeling

Perspective." Pp. 114-146 in Perspectives on

Crime and Deviance. Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Prentice Hall.

Mohamed, Rafik and Erik Fritsvold. 2006. "Damn, it Feels

Good to be a Gangsta: The Social Organization

of the Illicit Drug Trade Servicing a Private

College Campus." Deviant Behavior 27:97-125.

Mohamed, Rafik and Erik Fritsvold. 2012. Dorm Room

Dealers: Drugs and the Privileges of Race and

Class. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Neighbors, Clayton, Christine Lee, Melissa Lewis, Nicole

Fossos and Mary Larimer. 2007. “Are Social

Norms the Best Predictor of Outcomes Among

Heavy-Drinking College Students?” J Stud

Alcohol Drugs 68(4):556-565.

Sykes, Gresham and David Matza. 1957. "Techniques of

Neutralization: A Theory of Delinquency."

American Sociological Review 22(6):664-670.

Tewksbury, Richard and Elizabeth Ehrhardt Mustaine. 1998.

“Lifestyles of the Wheelers and Dealers: Drug

Dealing Among American College Students.”

Journal of Crime and Justice 21(2):37-56.