ABSTRACT
The field of criminal career research has had a huge impact on criminology, but its most important contribution, arguably, has been the study of desistance. In approaching and entering adulthood the individual is undergoing a process of maturation that in turn makes him or her leave crime behind. However, a number of the crucial arguments in Delinquency and Drift are life-course criminological in nature. David Matza highlights two forms of status anxiety, both important for understanding his perspective on desistance in Delinquency and Drift: masculinity anxiety and membership anxiety. Matza's argument has been centered on the features of adolescence, and how they carry with them the possibility for delinquency. The chapter describes how Matza's account of desistance is more intricate than it may appear at first sight, and offers potential insights about why the majority of all offenders desist in the transition to adulthood.
