ABSTRACT
In an attempt to bridge this hiatus, this report, which is derived from a more comprehensive study of blue-collar theft, focuses on the cognitive dimensions of pilfering—namely, the workers’ conceptions of property in the plant, their attitudes toward pilfering, and the work groups’ norms relative to pilfering. To complete the picture of the worker’s conceptions of property in the plant, several additional observations may be noted. The real significance of the trichotomous conception of property becomes apparent when one examines the workers’ attitudes toward pilfering. Additional insight into the workers’ attitudes toward pilfering may be obtained from their responses to the questions pertaining to the giving away and/or selling of goods and materials taken from the plant. The present research suggests that these vacillating cognitive orientations also apply to pilfering in the work plant. As might be expected, the work group norms do not delineate specifically what constitutes a reasonable amount of pilfering.
