Deck 7: The Symbolic Construction of Opportunity: Neutralization, Moral Disengagement, and Normalization of Deviance

Question 1

What is the difference between concerted ignorance and normalized deviance in organizations?

Answer 1

Concerted ignorance refers to situations where a corporate leader will deliberately attempt not to know what his subordinates are doing, so that he or she can reduce their potential culpability for illegal actions by subordinates. Normalized deviance refers to situations in large organizations where individuals are making inherently risky decisions without actually recognizing how risky they are, and they end up inadvertently exposing others to risky situation.

Question 2

Discuss what "denying the victim" means in white-collar crime.

Answer 2

White-collar offenders do not see the victim face-to-face, the victims may be many (faceless) people or faceless agencies; offenders are able to convince themselves that no real person will suffer as a result of their crime, thus they are able to maintain a non-criminal identity.

Question 3

Discuss one of the following techniques of neutralization: denying responsibility, denying the victim, condemning the condemners, and appeal to higher loyalties.

Answer 3

Denying the victim = White-collar offenders do not see the victim face-to-face, the victims may be many (faceless) people or faceless agencies; offenders are able to convince themselves that no real person will suffer as a result of their crime, thus they are able to maintain a non-criminal identity.
Denying responsibility = Know that the behavior is illegal, but do not believe they are directly responsible for the behavior or its consequences; Two ways to do this: Concerted ignorance = when leadership (willingly) remains unaware of the laws they are breaking or that their subordinates are breaking, maintaining ignorance about the risks they impose on others and Acting under orders = simply following the rules or orders they were given by "higher ups" in the organization
Condemning the condemners = When white-collar offenders do not view the law as legitimate or necessary and therefore see those who enforce the law as also illegitimate, unnecessary, incompetent, or untrustworthy; This undermines the obligation to obey the law, making it easier to break it while still maintaining a non-criminal identity
Appeal to higher loyalties = When white-collar offenders claim allegiance to a higher morality than what is contained in the narrow definitions of the law; Believing that their actions, while technically "criminal", are somehow "morally" correct makes it easier for white-collar offenders to engage in crime while still maintaining a non-criminal identity

Question 4

Studies indicate that one of the most distinguishing psychological characteristics of white-collar offenders is that they:

A) Deny that they ever intended to commit a crime
B) Often suffer from mental health problems such as depression and anxiety
C) Are very sorry about their offenses and the victims that they hurt
D) Tend to be socially inept and introverted, that is, they have trouble getting along with other people.

Question 5

The term "concerted ignorance" refers to or means:

A) The same as "normalized deviance"
B) The tendency of lower level employees to avoid learning about the decision-making processes of corporate executives
C) When corporate executives deliberately avoid learning about the risks they are imposing on other people, such as consumers or employees
D) When regulatory agencies deliberately write rules and regulations that are difficult for business executives to understand

Question 6

As discussed in Benson and Simpson, "normalized" deviance is:

A) Deviance that is common in a population.
B) Deviance that is not recognized by the government as being illegal
C) Deviance that is recognized by most people as being harmless
D) Deviance that is not recognized by the people involved as being deviant

Question 7

The explosion of the space shuttle Challenger was caused by:

A) A mistake by the shuttle commander who was in charge during take off
B) Cold weather that led to the failure of a faulty O-ring
C) The shuttle striking a flock of birds during take-off
D) Some unknown factor that NASA was never able to identify

Question 8

Before a white-collar offender can engage in white-collar crime, they must view the opportunity for it in a way they can continue to see themselves as noncriminal.

Question 9

A white-collar offender accepts responsibility for their actions but denies the negative content. This is an example of:

A) Distorting the truth
B) Excusing their behavior
C) Justifying their behavior

Question 10

According to the book, there are two kinds of accounts white-collar offenders use to explain their behaviors. These are (check all that apply):

A) Excuses
B) Neutralizations
C) Distortions
D) Justifications

Question 11

A white-collar offender admits that he/she did something wrong, but denies having full responsibility for the action. This is an example of:

A) Distorting the truth
B) Excusing their behavior
C) Justifying their behavior

Question 12

As discussed in the book, some ways that white-collar offenders us to deny responsibility are (check all that apply):

A) Concerted ignorance
B) Claiming to be following orders
C) Denying the law
D) Fabricating the truth

Question 13

______ refers to when offenders know or suspect that what they are doing is illegal, but they do not believe that they are directly responsible for the act or its consequences

A) Dismissal
B) Denying responsibility
C) Justifying

Question 14

______ permit offenders to engage in illegal behavior while at the same time not thinking of themselves as "criminals."

A) Neutralizations
B) Distortions
C) Dismissals
D) None of the above

Question 15

Only leaders in executive positions can claim that they were "acting under orders" when they engaged in white-collar crime.

Question 16

The techniques of neutralization for white-collar crime include (check all that apply):

A) Denying responsibility
B) Denying the victim
C) Condemning the condemners
D) Appeal to higher loyalties

Question 17

_______ refers to the ways in which we can turn off our own moral standards against harming others.

A) Moral disengagement
B) Moral stigma
C) Ethical dilemma

Question 18

As applied to white-collar crime, the opportunity perspective assumes that offenders are aware that their actions are wrong or illegal.

Question 19

______ deviance is deviant behavior that is not recognized as being deviant.

A) Primary
B) Secondary
C) Neutralized
D) Normalized

Question 20

The process of normalization of deviance - as in the NASA example provided in the book - does not include which of the following?

A) Structural secrecy
B) Bottom-up decision-making
C) Accountability to outside forces
D) Complex informational context

Question 21

Concerted ignorance and structural secrecy are the same thing.