Gang Violence: Social Conflict Theory

Introduction & Sociological Background

It is clear in American society that minority groups often lag behind their white counterparts in terms of standard of living and other aspects of class stratification. As sociologist Joseph F. Healey argues in Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Class, "minority group status affects access to wealth and income, prestige and power" (16). From a sociological standpoint, when various groups view themselves as being denied access to the conventional markers of upward mobility and status in society, deviance arises.

Feeling a lack of connection from white, successful social groups, African Americans turn to gang membership and violence (i.e., deviance) as a means of achieving solidarity, status and economic success. This fits in with Emile Durkheim's belief that weak bonds in society cause people to deviate from social norms and values, "In a society with strong solidarity, the members are likely to conform to share norms and values, but in a society with weak bonds among the members, people are more likely to deviate" (Robertson 197). It is this disconnect between social groups of different status that leads to deviance like gang formation and violence.

Social conflict theory best explains the rise of gangs in American society among minority youth that view themselves denied traditional routes of access to upward mobility. Social conflict theory maintains that there are limited resources available in any

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youth are often drawn to gang membership and violence as an alternative lifestyle in a culture they believe offers them little access to opportunity through conventional routes. The unequal distribution of benefits that arises in society from a social conflict theory perspective serves to create "haves" and "have-nots." Most often the "haves" control social institutions that offer access to opportunities for upward mobility, at the expense of the "have-nots" which most often encompass minority groups in American society. Many black youth would rather engage in deviance, the "recognized violation of cultural norms and society's formally enacted criminal laws, by joining gangs than be doomed to what they see as a nowhere life playing by the rules set by wealthy whites (Ezell, Norwood, and Stewart, et al. 174). Until greater and more equal access to opportunities to upward mobility (i.e. education, employment, income, etc.), it is likely gang membership will remain enticing to impressionable black youth who desire the rewards of such an existence compared to the dead-end they see society offering them. Ineffective Retributive vs. Restorative Justice of Black Youth One of the primary causes of ongoing gang m

Category: Psychology - G