social key question

• how can knowledge of social psychology be used to understand gang violence
• situation

  • violent gangs are now 'implemented' in our culture
  • police forces in england and wales recorded the highest number of crimes in 20 years; knife crimes, drug related offences and county lines are rising in many parts of the UK
  • knife crime has increased by 14% in 2016 and there were over 210k offences recorded by the police in england and wales in 2020/21
• why its an issue for society

  • county lines - children transporting drugs puts them in danger as it could lead to deaths - over 12,000+ children identified by children's social services as at risk due to gang involvement in 2020/21
  • costs to increase policing - 26,000 (2022)
  • cost to NHS - gang related crimes lead to loss of life - more ambulances
  • creates crime prone areas - communities feel unsafe
• realistic conflict theory - theory linked to gang violence

  • 2 gangs may be in competition over who has the best reputation in the neighbourhood or whos making the most money - this competition leads to violence
  • postcode gangs compete for territory - e.g: land/space occupied around neigbourhoods as gangs need a safe space to transport drugs/deal items, customers who are drug users and makers may be limited -
  • puts gangs in a state of negative interdependence: if one gang gains (streets, guns, drugs), the other loses - can lead to groups becoming hostile towards out-group
• social identity theory - theory linked to gang violence

  • individuals may have undergone categorisation based on where they live and postcode of that area they - categorised themselves into a particular gang 
  • gangs adopted beliefs and values such as: being intimidating by carrying knives, threatening for resources, involve county lines - gang members have high self-esteem as they belong to a group which they think is respected within their community/ gain respect through being part of a group with power
• • gangs compare themselves against others for positive distinctiveness - e.g: having more money, customers and products than other gangs to make them appear more superior or making fun of someone else's death in a different group - treating out-group negatively making a statement about who has the most power