Question

Sophie is caught shoplifting from a local grocery. She justifies her actions by claiming that her family has no money and that she has been unable to find a job. She says that if she didn't steal she wouldn't have anything. Sophie is using which technique of neutralization?

A) Denial of responsibility.
B) Condemnation of the condemners.
C) Appeal to higher loyalties.
D) Denial of injury.

Answer 1

Sophie justifies her shoplifting through an appeal to higher loyalties, claiming the act served a greater good of providing for her family.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sophie is using the technique of appeal to higher loyalties to justify her shoplifting. This technique involves justifying actions by claiming they serve a higher purpose, suggesting that the need to provide for oneself or one's family outweighs the wrongdoing of the theft. This is based on the theory that deviant individuals might acknowledge others view their actions as wrong, but they themselves do not, because they perceive a personal benefit or good result that justifies their actions.