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Gang Recruitment
Self-Worth and the Need to Belong
Juvenile Delinquency Paper
The self-help author Wayne Dyer once wrote that, "Self-worth comes from one thing…thinking that you are worthy." This quote captures the functional role of gangs: they exist because they serve a purpose. Gangs are attractive to recruits because they promise a variety of benefits. Though many members reap material benefits from joining, it is the psychological benefits which play a critical role in the decision to join a gang, particularly as it relates to self-worth and the need to belong. While some gang members often portray themselves with great machismo, think highly of themselves and are proud of what they have become, the majority of youths who join gangs suffer from a negative self-image (Miller, 2001). Opportunities to feel good about themselves in their family or at school are few and far between. Yablonsky (1997) tells us "The gangsters' personality problems of low self-esteem and sense of alienation drive them to act super tough to compensate for their sense of inferiority." According to Yablonsky, children who have acquired a negative self-concept and low self-esteem...
It is, in many cases, a self-fulfilling prophecy. When the child goes to school he acts like a bad person and teachers and peers begin to deal with him or her as a bad person (Shelden, 1997).
In contrast, wealthier youths have several sources for achieving a sense of self-worth and esteem. Among them are excelling at school, succeeding in extracurricular athletics, going to camp and excelling in a leisure-time activity or craft and earning a legitimate part-time income. Youths who are effectively abandoned by parents and school may seek one another out or meet as a result of their misbehavior. As Maslow (1970) noted, we all have a basic need for acceptance and belonging. These children have the same need - perhaps more so due to their other basic needs going unmet. Gangs offer many ways in which their members may earn respect. Succeeding in the commission of a crime earns respect. Respect may be earned by ripping people off, disrespecting authority, dominating another person, exploiting others, serving time in prison and being a known…
References:
Maslow, A.H. (1970). Motivation and Personality. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
Miller, J., Maxson, C., Klein, M. (2001). The Modern Gang Reader. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury Publishing Co.
Sanchez-Jankowski, M.S. (1991). Islands in the Street: Gangs and American Urban Society. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Shelden, R., Tracy, S., Brown, W. (1997). Youth Gangs in American Society. Ann Arbor, MI: Wadsworth Publishers.
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