Why Do Teenagers Join Gangs?
Why do teenagers join gangs? Have you ever felt lonely or rejected? Many teenagers around the world have. The need for acceptance, fear, protection and money are some reasons why teenagers join gangs.
Probably the number one reason for teenagers joining gangs is to feel accepted. To understand why a teen joins a gang, you have to live in their areas and understand their environment. In gang neighborhoods, majority of the teens may be in a gang. This is almost equivalent to a cool club, because those who are not in the gang are viewed as outsiders and members of the gang may choose to avoid them for not being part of their club. So in an effort to be accepted and to be liked, many teenagers will join the gang. Most young people want to be accepted and want to be considered cool by their friends. Many kids may even have older siblings that are already in a gang or friends that joined one before they did, so they are pressured to join in.
Some teens may have been abused by their parents or someone else, or may just be scared of people in general. So they join gangs in an effort to dispense a little fear into people and gain self teem. They want people to be afraid of them, so they can no longer feel afraid or so they can do to others what has happened to them. Unfortunately, many of them end up hitting at the wrong people and innocent people are affected.
Growing up in a gang neighborhood can be rough. Areas that have gangs are usually low income neighborhoods that are below the poverty level. There are very few ghettos in America that don't have gangs. These areas can be very dangerous for a young teen growing up. Not just because of gangs, but because you have many people addicted to drugs or committing crimes in these places. A teen may feel overwhelmed by all of this or may be scared of being attacked, so they will join a gang to get protection. Most people are less likely to attack a person if they know they are in a set or if they are wearing gang
Probably the number one reason for teenagers joining gangs is to feel accepted. To understand why a teen joins a gang, you have to live in their areas and understand their environment. In gang neighborhoods, majority of the teens may be in a gang. This is almost equivalent to a cool club, because those who are not in the gang are viewed as outsiders and members of the gang may choose to avoid them for not being part of their club. So in an effort to be accepted and to be liked, many teenagers will join the gang. Most young people want to be accepted and want to be considered cool by their friends. Many kids may even have older siblings that are already in a gang or friends that joined one before they did, so they are pressured to join in.
Some teens may have been abused by their parents or someone else, or may just be scared of people in general. So they join gangs in an effort to dispense a little fear into people and gain self teem. They want people to be afraid of them, so they can no longer feel afraid or so they can do to others what has happened to them. Unfortunately, many of them end up hitting at the wrong people and innocent people are affected.
Growing up in a gang neighborhood can be rough. Areas that have gangs are usually low income neighborhoods that are below the poverty level. There are very few ghettos in America that don't have gangs. These areas can be very dangerous for a young teen growing up. Not just because of gangs, but because you have many people addicted to drugs or committing crimes in these places. A teen may feel overwhelmed by all of this or may be scared of being attacked, so they will join a gang to get protection. Most people are less likely to attack a person if they know they are in a set or if they are wearing gang