Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How Do College Students Justify Their Deviant Behavior?, Ryleigh Haynes

SCSU Journal of Student Scholarship

The goal of my project is to determine how college students justify their deviant behavior. I used a convenient sample of college students for my survey. Students were asked to report on past actions that they have engaged in and explain their reasoning behind why they did it. Previous research indicates that people are more likely to engage in deviant behavior if they can neutralize the guilt from committing the action or if they make it appear normal. The student responses will be compared to nine common neutralization techniques. My presentation will share the results of this study.