Groups are dynamic arrangements that are always existent in society and have a strong connection with identity and behaviours (Turner et al, 1987). There are many groups that are associated with youth, including; football hooligans, political and educational, friends and peers and charities. It has been said that social identity can have an effect on the behaviour of a group (Crisp and Turner, 2010). The term street gang is best described as a number of people who form a group, who all have common ground or interests, with some of those common interests being criminal activity for money, drugs or status. A gang made up of males or females is then what differentiates the two, with many stereotypes associated with both of them.
Different aspects …show more content…
When it comes to being accepted and fitting in to a group or society, people will try anything to feel a sense of belonging (Johnson, 2001). Conforming to other people’s choices and changing thought processes doesn’t take much when obedience (Milgram, 1974) comes into effect. By a person in a higher position in a gang, passes down an order, the younger person who has been influenced to join these gangs are normally asked to carry out these odd jobs, where the person at the top of the ranks can diffuse responsibility if something goes wrong. The hierarchy system within a gang is made to be seen from a business perspective with money, drugs, status, belonging all coming in from different people.
In regards to young people being on the fence when it comes to joining gangs is described as an identity crisis (Kemph, 1969), this is where a young person is not sure about what they want to do so they look up to other people in their lives. Depending on the geographical location this could be older brothers or sisters in street gangs or family members and friends involved in criminal activity. Geographical location plays a big part in gang territoriality as in some parts of America is rapidly on the increase (Klein, …show more content…
Young people are being bought up in an environment where they have older siblings serving time in prison or doing community service and with the young person being unsure about their own identity, anything contributed from older siblings or family members is more likely to be listened to and interpreted. Being introduced to a gang will allow the young person to be influenced by the status the other gang members have and also the idea that everything they do in the gang is normal behaviour when in normal society it’s not. As the young person starts to spend more time with other members of the gang and start to get a sense of belonging, it will be almost as the young person can’t see past the things that are not normal. Here they will have a sense of belonging and a boost in self-esteem as they will feel people they look up to are watching out for them. This then becomes a constant cycle in regards to recruiting members. Normally the newest recruit will advance in the ranks of hierarchy within the gang and gain more status as they progress. This is a worrying thought as at a particular age in your youth, many young people don’t have many clear aspirations and some turn to street gangs as a resort of something to do in their spare
Different aspects …show more content…
When it comes to being accepted and fitting in to a group or society, people will try anything to feel a sense of belonging (Johnson, 2001). Conforming to other people’s choices and changing thought processes doesn’t take much when obedience (Milgram, 1974) comes into effect. By a person in a higher position in a gang, passes down an order, the younger person who has been influenced to join these gangs are normally asked to carry out these odd jobs, where the person at the top of the ranks can diffuse responsibility if something goes wrong. The hierarchy system within a gang is made to be seen from a business perspective with money, drugs, status, belonging all coming in from different people.
In regards to young people being on the fence when it comes to joining gangs is described as an identity crisis (Kemph, 1969), this is where a young person is not sure about what they want to do so they look up to other people in their lives. Depending on the geographical location this could be older brothers or sisters in street gangs or family members and friends involved in criminal activity. Geographical location plays a big part in gang territoriality as in some parts of America is rapidly on the increase (Klein, …show more content…
Young people are being bought up in an environment where they have older siblings serving time in prison or doing community service and with the young person being unsure about their own identity, anything contributed from older siblings or family members is more likely to be listened to and interpreted. Being introduced to a gang will allow the young person to be influenced by the status the other gang members have and also the idea that everything they do in the gang is normal behaviour when in normal society it’s not. As the young person starts to spend more time with other members of the gang and start to get a sense of belonging, it will be almost as the young person can’t see past the things that are not normal. Here they will have a sense of belonging and a boost in self-esteem as they will feel people they look up to are watching out for them. This then becomes a constant cycle in regards to recruiting members. Normally the newest recruit will advance in the ranks of hierarchy within the gang and gain more status as they progress. This is a worrying thought as at a particular age in your youth, many young people don’t have many clear aspirations and some turn to street gangs as a resort of something to do in their spare