School of Psychology, Keynes College, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom.
Aggress Behav. 2010 Nov-Dec;36(6):423-36. doi: 10.1002/ab.20360.
Research has noted the existence of a loose and dynamic gang structure. However, the psychological processes that underpin gang membership have only begun to be addressed. This study examined gang members, peripheral youth, and nongang youth across measures of criminal activity, the importance they attach to status, their levels of moral disengagement, their perceptions of out-group threat, and their attitudes toward authority. Of the 798 high school students who participated in this study, 59 were identified as gang members, 75 as peripheral youth, and 664 as nongang youth. Gang members and peripheral youth were more delinquent than nongang youth overall; however, gang members committed more minor offenses than nongang youth and peripheral youth committed more violent offenses than nongang youth. Gang members were more anti-authority than nongang youth, and both gang and peripheral youth valued social status more than nongang youth. Gang members were also more likely to blame their victims for their actions and use euphemisms to sanitize their behavior than nongang youth, whereas peripheral youth were more likely than nongang youth to displace responsibility onto their superiors. These findings are discussed as they highlight the importance of examining individual differences in the cognitive processes that relate to gang involvement.
研究指出存在松散且动态的帮派结构。然而，支撑帮派成员身份的心理过程才刚刚开始被研究。本研究通过对犯罪活动、他们对地位的重视程度、道德脱离程度、对外部群体威胁的看法以及对权威的态度等方面的衡量，对帮派成员、边缘青年和非帮派青年进行了研究。在参与这项研究的 798 名高中生中，有 59 人被认定为帮派成员，75 人为边缘青年，664 人为非帮派青年。总的来说，帮派成员和边缘青年比非帮派青年更叛逆；但是，帮派成员比非帮派青年犯更多的轻微罪行，而边缘青年比非帮派青年犯更多的暴力罪行。帮派成员比非帮派青年更反权威，而且帮派成员和边缘青年都比非帮派青年更重视社会地位。帮派成员也比非帮派青年更有可能将责任归咎于受害者，并使用委婉语来粉饰自己的行为，而边缘青年比非帮派青年更有可能将责任推给上级。这些发现很重要，因为它们突出了研究与帮派参与相关的认知过程中的个体差异的重要性。
