NCJ Number
146278
Journal
Ethos Volume: 16 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1988) Pages: 421-445
Date Published
1988
Length
25 pages
Annotation
The reasons why some adolescent Chicano males join street gangs are investigated.
Abstract
During adolescence, a person's identity undergoes marked changes. Early life experiences, sociocultural environmental conditions, and agents of socialization must be accounted for in assessing this new identity formation. For a small but considerable portion of "barrio" (neighborhood) youth with problematic backgrounds, the street gang has become a competitor of institutions such as family and school to guide self-identification. The urban Chicano gang phenomenon began as a loosely structured gang characterized more by mischief than malice, but has evolved into an established subculture with a clear set of values, goals, roles, initiations, and other group symbols and functions. Psychological features accompanied these developments. Identity and self-identification are central to the nexus of ego, group, and role phenomena in the gang members' situation. An overarching factor in these developments is the attendant pressure to survive street realities. This paper shows how a youth's self-identity is inspired and affirmed by commitment to and identification with the gang. Sections of the paper are entitled "The Barrio and Self-Identity: Sources of Commitment" and "Identity and "Psychosocial Moratorium'." Footnotes and 43 references