Consumer Excuse Mechanisms, Neutralization Techniques in Stolen Goods Markets


Mancheri S. M., BARIŞ G.

DEVIANT BEHAVIOR, 2024 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2024
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/01639625.2024.2373339
  • Dergi Adı: DEVIANT BEHAVIOR
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, Criminal Justice Abstracts, EBSCO Legal Collection, EBSCO Legal Source, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Gender Studies Database, HeinOnline-Law Journal Library, Index Islamicus, Psycinfo, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Violence & Abuse Abstracts
  • Anadolu Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

The act of wittingly or suspiciously buying stolen goods is ethically questionable, legally punishable consumer behavior. Hence, purchasing stolen goods can lead to various cognitive and emotional sufferings, such as cognitive dissonance, ethical conflict, and feelings of guilt. In the context of buying stolen goods, consumer dissonance is a very significant predictor of consumer guilt. However, our findings did not confirm an expected positive relationship between ethical conflict and guilt. While buying stolen goods, consumer excuse and neutralization strategies are used to cope with both cognitive and emotional sufferings resulting from wrongdoings. The findings of this study are based on survey research conducted among the consumers of the stolen goods market, locally named Chor Bazaar (Theif Market) in India, focusing on Delhi and Mumbai. The findings confirmed that consumer's use of excuse and neutralization strategies moderates the relationship between consumer guilt and the purchase of stolen goods. However, there is no direct relationship between neutralization and the purchase of stolen goods.