The search for family: Adolescent males’ motives for joining games

Abstract

The majority of research on adolescent gangs has focused on delineating the correlates of gang membership. This research provides important insight into who joins gangs; however, it tells us little about why adolescents join gangs. The present endeavor utilized a free response survey to investigate the motives or reasons that adolescent males have for initially entering a gang . Participants were recruited from a residential treatment facility for adolescent male wards of the state of Michigan. The reasons most cited for joining a gang included 1) gain a second or surrogate family, 2) power, 3) acceptance, and 4) excitement/fun. Contrary to expectations, few participants stated that peer pressure or influence played a role in their decision to join a gang; rather, a desire for a close, familial relationship and for acceptance from others (specifically, other gang members) seemed to be the primary reasons these young men entered gangs.