Does it Matter if Those Who Matter Don't Mind?: Testing the Differential Effects of Gang Versus Delinquent Peer Group Membership on Labeling Processes

• In Event: Construction, Management, and Consequences of Deviant Identities

Abstract

Informed by the symbolic interactionist approach and labeling perspective, the central question addressed in this study is: Are the effects of official intervention on individuals’ self-concepts influenced by variations in the nature of their reference groups? Reference groups can serve as filters to actors’ labeling experiences, with actors’ subsequent reactions differing by reference groups’ characteristics. In this study, the focal comparison is between the nature of gangs and the nature of delinquent peer groups. Research has established gang membership as distinct from other, non-gang related delinquent peer groups, noting especially pervasive effects of prior gang involvement over the life-course. This study aims to address if such distinctions between gangs and other highly delinquent peer groups also applies to theoretically-anticipated labeling processes. Using data from the Rochester Youth Development Study, the moderating effects of being part of a gang versus part of a highly delinquent peer group on the relationship between arrest and self-concept are tested. Inverse relationships are hypothesized for the impact of official intervention on self-concept when dependent upon individuals’ gang involvement or level of non-gang related delinquent peer associations. Results and implications are discussed.

Authors

• Molly Buchanan, Marist College

• Marvin Krohn, University of Florida