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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science pp 3328–3332Cite as

Gang Affiliation

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Synonyms

Coalition alliance; Gang membership

Definition

Membership in a group wherein its members have a high degree of interaction, similarity, as well as mutual interests and goals that are often achieved via criminal means.

Introduction

Membership in gangs is associated with increased involvement in violent crime (Bjerregaard and Smith 1993; Esbensen and Huizinga 1993). This presents obvious risks, including the potential to be physically harmed during violent altercations and to be prosecuted for crimes committed. Given these risks, there are likely benefits of gang affiliation that offset these costs. Here we describe the structure of gangs and what benefits might accrue to members of gangs.

Entitativity of Groups

Groups vary in the extent to which they are perceived as a coherent entity; this entitativity or “groupiness” (Dasgupta et al. 1999) is determined by a number of factors. In particular, entitative groups exhibit a high degree of interaction, rate membership in the group...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Samantha Brindley

  2. Psychology Department, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Samantha Brindley

  3. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Melissa M McDonald

Authors
  1. Samantha Brindley
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  2. Melissa M McDonald
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Samantha Brindley .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K Shackelford

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Viviana A Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Melissa McDonald

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Brindley, S., McDonald, M.M. (2021). Gang Affiliation. In: Shackelford, T.K., Weekes-Shackelford, V.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19650-3_966

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