Who joins the gang? On the surface this question seems to have a clear answer. However, answers often pertain to individual characteristics due to the individual nature of the question. Most people assume that potential gang members are plain hoodlums, or people who desire and even accept criminal activity as a way of life. For this reason calculated solutions to the gang problem frequently revolve around methods of dealing with the individual such as counselors or the youth authority and even prison. But as time has told these are ineffective. Recent media attention of gang activity illustrates this failure. Consequently the need for a different approach emerges. One of the initial steps in the process of understanding all of the dynamics of the gang problem lies in recognizing the gang issue as a social one. At this point several social theories can be evaluated and their viability relative to gangs assessed. But currently only few studies maintain a concrete social analysis on gangs. As a result a more complex and diverse approach must be taken to reach a clear understanding. One solid method of analysis is to combine a good social deviance theory with an analysis of the social conditions conductive to gang formation. Because not all social deviance theories are valid, careful steps must be taken when selecting one theory over another, the result of which leads to a better understanding of gangs, from which solutions to the original question and the problem can be realized.
Two dominant theories of social delinquency have tradi-tionally been social disorganization theory and cultural deviance theory. The former approach is also composed of two models, the control model and the strain model. Furthermore, while control models may possess elements of strain insofar as not to possess causality for delinquency, strain models only find strain elements in society as direct causes of delinquency. Kornhauser defines th...