Psychology of Gang Involvement

<p><strong><em>Psychology of Gang Involvement</em></strong> expands existing knowledge by applying psychological knowledge to gangs including how gang members think their mental and emotional well-being and their perceptions of gang involvement as well as issues relating to gang prevention and intervention strategies. </p><p>This book offers readers a clearer understanding of the important role that social psychological processes play in the formation and maintenance of gangs and gang membership. It will enhance readers’ understanding of gang members’ social cognition emotional intelligence well-being and mental health as well as how these factors potentially promote and sustain individual gang involvement. Readers will discover also how these important psychological characteristics vary according to an individual’s commitment to a gang. Organized in three sections the first focuses on issues relevant to theoretical perspectives of gang involvement. Chapters include detailed examinations of a gang member’s experiences and the implications of these for theoretical development and considerations of the importance of social and psychological issues such as group processes and levels of commitment to gang membership to understand and explain involvement in gangs. The second section centers on issues such as adverse childhood experiences and trauma and examines their links to male and female gang membership as potential risk factors and outcomes of gang involvement. The section concludes by contemplating how the mental health traumatic experiences and involvement in violence compares between gang members and other violent men in adulthood. The final section considers current responses to gang membership by evaluating individual and group-based approaches to gang prevention and intervention strategies and concludes with a theoretical conceptualization of how a strengths-based approach could work to reduce gang involvement. </p><p>This book will be a useful text for a wide range of readers interested in or working with gang members including academics and students practitioners youth workers clinicians and criminal justice agents. </p>