Theories Of Gang Culture

Culture has been defined as the source of ties that attach members of societies through religion/morals, tradition, food, routines, symbols, values, norms, and way of life, goals, constitutive, perception institutions, your social environment, and fashion. Culture is a powerful human tool for survival and it is constantly changing and easily lost because it exists only in our minds. Everybody have their own culture even gangs. First I will explain the background of gang culture. Second I use theories to explain why someone might engage in joining a gang using cultural framework. Last, I will discuss how gangs can be positive in communities.
In gang culture tattoos are useful signal to identify individuals who are members of a gang. But in the documentary former gang member Speedy was getting his tattoos off his face because he wanted to look respectable in society when trying to get …show more content…
A kid might join a gang to copy a behavior of older siblings, or friends in school or neighborhood. Most human behavior is learn through observing someone else.
Based on Cohen Strain theory, someone might engage in joining a gang because they are young lower class men are at a disadvantage in society. They lack the interaction, socialization, and discipline instituted by middle class parents. The inability to meet the American Dream and success by the middle class standard is frustrating to them. They accept culture norms deny the way to get there.
Based on differential opportunity theory, someone might join a gang because of family poverty, family structure, low self-esteem, and neighborhood crime. People realize that they become blocked from conventional ladders of success become frustrated and strained. Realize that there are two ladders to achieve success legitimate and illegitimate (legal and illegal). In society gang members feel worthless and cheated by society with no