Kudos to the people who took the time to try to educate & inform potential gang victims. I wonder though if they didn’t go far enough. In today’s plugged in 24/7 world sometimes it takes hard images & reality to get the message across. An interview or footage of gangsters in prison & their experience there? Footage of the victims of what gangs push, ie; addicts, prostitutes & others who suffer while the gang leaders literally make off like bandits? There are no easy answers as these monsters prey on the weaknesses & vulnerabilities of others. As a social species the urge & drive to belong to something is a huge motivator. As a side note, I wonder if there has been a correlation drawn between people who join gangs & people who join extremist religious organizations (Isis)? From what I have seen & read there seems to be a lot of similar elements in the personalities of those that are drawn to both.

Detoe: What you said.
And yes, followers want to belong, doesn’t matter as long as they feel it.
Use me, jail me, put a suicide vest on me, same thing the psych is there.

“As a social species the urge & drive to belong to something is a huge motivator. As a side note, I wonder if there has been a correlation drawn between people who join gangs & people who join extremist religious organizations (Isis)? From what I have seen & read there seems to be a lot of similar elements in the personalities of those that are drawn to both”

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Excellent point detoe44! Personally, I think we should look at these as similar types of situations. I’m certainly no expert on sociology or psychology, but it would seem like many of the people who join these groups are indeed looking for some sort of “place” to belong. Whether it’s a gang, a skinhead group or some other outlet, this type of thing has been impacting certain segments of the population for decades and decades.

I listened to a radio call in show out here and an ex-gang member called in to talk about this very issue. What I got out of that call was that if you are an 11 or 12 year old boy with no real support at home and the gang members down the road are filling that void, then one thing will lead to another.

At some point we have to figure out a way to address the root causes. Nine times out of ten, I’ll bet they come back to social issues.

NMG: Don’t forget the personality traits as well.

The original hierarchy of needs five-stage model includes:

1. Biological and Physiological needs – air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep.
2. Safety needs – protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom from fear.
3. Love and belonging needs – friendship, intimacy, affection and love, – from work group, family, friends, romantic relationships.
4. Esteem needs – achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, respect from others.
5. Self-Actualization needs – realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

From http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

What detoe and nmg are talking about is right on the money. Of course, there is a little more to it that that. What I am seeing about us humans is a lot of non-information, backed up with some misinformation. Many of us can see these things, but Maslo gets the idea across nicely allowing us to discuss the matter.

I think one of the strongest influences is as detoe said, guidance from and through the family unit. A lot of that gets missed when the parents are wrapped up in their own issues, they forget to be parents. If we could have a mechanism to help teach a consistent good life skills message to our youth, and maybe provide opportunities that don’t have room for gang activity, maybe this problem would go away.

Things like organized sports, cadets, youth organizations, and even martial arts can provide some of this kind of activity. It just needs to be accessible regardless of financial ability.

I believe you really have to be lacking in conscience to become involved with gangs.How can you explain the many tasks one must perform just to be accepted by other members and not feel an extreme amount of guilt and shame about what you have just done to gain there acceptance.

Jakeadoo I think I can answer that, if only by stating my own opinion;

I think that once a ‘recruit’ has been accepted into the fold of the gang members who treat him or her as a friend, do favours for them, give them something nice, that person maybe starts to feel a kind of loyalty to the gang unit, they are made to feel as if they belong, and to not do the things they are (initially asked) to do is to let their new friends down, and risk not being a member of that ‘family’
Later, when they have some unpleasant deeds behind them, they probably have less choice about what they are now TOLD to do.

It all comes down to being raised in a cohesive family unit, imho.

metalman.