Do the Big Five Personality Factors Predict Gang Membership and Embeddedness? Evidence From a Sample of Young Offenders

• In Event: Contemporary Issues in Biosocial Criminology

Abstract

Despite a burgeoning literature on the causes and consequences of gang membership, few studies have examined the personality characteristics of gang-involved youth. The current study employs a sample of adjudicated youth to examine the associations between the Big Five personality factors—Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Emotional Stability, Openness, and Extraversion—and gang-related outcomes. In particular, the youth’s gang membership and level of involvement in the gang (i.e., low-, medium-, or high-level member) are investigated. The results of the study are presented and policy implications are discussed.

Author

• Zachary Loftus, Florida State University