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Conceptualizing Immoral and Unethical Consumption Using Neutralization Theory
Author(s) -
McGregor Sue L. T.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
family and consumer sciences research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.372
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1552-3934
pISSN - 1077-727X
DOI - 10.1177/1077727x07312190
Subject(s) - immorality , consumption (sociology) , scholarship , neutralization , purchasing , perspective (graphical) , social psychology , consumer behaviour , sociology , psychology , criminology , law and economics , business , marketing , political science , law , morality , social science , computer science , artificial intelligence , antibody , biology , immunology
Neutralization is a defense mechanism through which people downplay the repercussions of their behavior. This article demonstrates the ability of neutralization theory (especially 13 neutralization techniques) to contribute theoretical understandings into how consumers can justify the negative impacts of their purchasing behavior, how they can continually or periodically rationalize their less than moral and ethical consumption decisions. Guided by the intent to galvanize empirical and interpretative consumer scholarship informed by neutralization theory, 13 consumer vignettes were developed to illustrate the powerful insights to be gained from bringing this theoretical perspective to bear on the immorality of consumption.