Multivariate Analysis of Gang Delinquency - 4 - Personality Factors in Gangs and Clubs

• NCJ Number: 70266
• Journal: Multivariate Behavioral Research Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: (1980) Pages: 3-22
• Author(s): D S Cartwright; K I Howard; N A Reuterman
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): ROI-MN-14999; FR-05666-2
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare; National Institutes of Health; Illinois Dept of Mental Health; Institute for Juvenile Research (see Illinois Dept of Mental Health/Institute for Juvenile Research)
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The study examined 238 boys from 16 gangs and 82 boys from adult-sponsored clubs and compared them on 11 factors from the Objective-Analytic Personality Factor Battery.

Abstract

It was found that gang and club boys differ significantly on five of the personality factors. Club boys were found to be more assertive, more exuberant, and more realistic. Gang boys show more manic smartness and less self-realization. An examination of possible relationships between these variables and types of delinquent behavior found that three factors (assertiveness, altertness, and stolidness) do show significant differences between gang boys engaged in different types of delinquent behavior. However, no simple linear relationships were found between personality factors and delinquent behaviors in gangs. Several hypotheses drawn from theories of personality and of gang delinquency may be useful in explaining the results of this study. Five tables and 17 references are included. (Author abstract modified)