NCJ Number
145075
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: (May 1993) Pages: 81-93
Date Published
1993
Length
13 pages
Annotation
A review of the literature about juvenile gangs during the period between 1983 and 1987 was used to assess the causative and associative factors in juvenile gangs and to determine the relative importance given to psychological, as opposed to sociological, factors.
Abstract
The review shows little agreement concerning the primacy of sociological or psychological explanations of juvenile gang behavior. There is contradictory evidence concerning the importance of the family in juvenile gang affiliation. However, self-image seems to be a consistent explanatory element found throughout the literature; self-image, which is shaped by school, family, peers, and street life, may be formed in gangs or in legitimate activity. Many factors, including aggression, family, school, and culture, are examined from both a psychological and sociological perspective in gang-related research. This author maintains that theories using multiple-factor explanations across disciplines, including biological and physical factors, will ultimately account for greater unexplained variance than theories relying solely on psychology or sociology. 6 notes and 20 references