Matza, for example, argued that delinquents often use neutralization techniques to justify their delinquency, especially after knowing that they have done wrong. The delinquent uses neutralizations or justifications to make the act seem right to him in a particular situation. He can therefore commit the act without suffering from guilty feelings. In fact, the key factor in determining whether someone violates the law is not the social or psychological conditions he experiences, but rather how he defines these situations. A criminal act therefore occurs when a situation appropriate for it, as defined by the person, is present.
Definitions are important in at least two ways.
First , they are symbolic behavior, or norms. Second , they are cues or discriminative stimuli. More specifically, when one learns something, there are cues that accompany that learning, telling when one should perform a particular behavior for example. Violence, by way of illustration, would be considered appropriate in particular circumstances and inappropriate in others. When one associates with others whose definitions of some situations encourage the breaking of laws and isolates one's self from those whose definitions of the same situations discourage law breaking, crime will be most likely.