We explicate the mechanism of visco-elastic behavior and softening of elastomeric materials employing the process of transformation in the structure of elastomeric lattice due to displacement of sliding node points under the action of a load applied. As a result, the average length of polymeric chains oriented along the axis of loading of a specimen increases and the length of chains oriented in the orthogonal direction decreases. To simulate the behavior of any polymeric chain, we use the model of a chain with free joints. It is shown that the model proposed may be used in description of some results obtained experimentally for the case of uniaxial tension and compression.