This paper is about using different methods to decrease conflict among young ex-gang members. Different strategies are discussed t help decrease conflict as well as the reasons as to why these boys have these thoughts and opinions in the first place. |
The problem that these boys are suffering from is related to their upbringing and the activities that they did in their gangs. They typically have very little parental influence growing up and they are usually initiated into these gangs at a very young age, as early as 10 or 11 years of age. They have no positive authority influences in their lives. Their parents are typically not there for them due to alcohol or drug addiction, or they work so much just to keep the family surviving that they are not there for their kids when they really need their guidance and advice. They typically live in poor neighborhoods that have little or no constructive outlets for them to express themselves. The schools are poor as well and the community has no available money or resources to build community centers where these boys could play sports or do other activities that would help them to stay out of trouble. These boys are typically left to fend for themselves and grow up on the streets learning whatever they can in order to survive. They have no good examples of how to behave correctly and they are frequently subjected to stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination in these gangs. Gangs are full of these behaviors. They frequently have initiations involving hate crimes. They typically pick their victims based on these thought patterns. They pick on people who are different mentally or physically and they enforce these negative behaviors on their new recruits to gain compliance and obedience. These gangs force their new recruits to perform crimes like
References: Kenrick, Douglas, Neuberg, Steven L., Cialdini, Robert B., Social Psychology: Goals In Intervention Third Edition 2007 Readings, Social Psychology, Argosy University, 2013. Hewstone, Milees; Rubin, Mark; Willis, Hazel Annual Review of Psychology 53, (2002): 575-604.