Identify Three of Sykes and Matza's Justifications/excuses for Engaging in Delinquency

question 30

Essay

Identify three of Sykes and Matza's justifications/excuses for engaging in delinquency and, for each, illustrate how it could be used to justify acts of vandalism.

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Definitions:

Limbic System

A group of brain structures, including the amygdala, hippocampus, basal ganglia, and hypothalamus. Because these brain structures are associated more with emotion than with reasoning, the limbic system is often described as the “emotion brain” (in contrast to the cerebral cortex, which some have dubbed the “reasoning brain”).

Gray Matter

A major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies, dendrites, and unmyelinated axons, associated with processing and cognition.

Reward System

Areas of the limbic system associated with motivations to seek resources critical to individual and species survival, such as food, shelter, and sex.

Primary Sex Organs

The main organs directly involved in reproduction, such as the ovaries in females and testes in males.