Multivariate Analysis Of Gang Delinquency: Iv. Personality Factors In Gangs And Clubs.

A sample of gang members and a comparison group of club boys are compared on eleven factors from the Objective-Analytic Personality Factor Battery. It is found that gang and club boys differ significantly on five of the personality factors, with club boys being more assertive, more exuberant, and more realistic. The gang boys show more manic smartness and less self-realization. Possible relationships between these variables and type of delinquent behavior are examined. Three factors (assertiveness, alertness, and stolidness) do show significant differences between gang boys engaged in different types of delinquent behavior. However, no simple linear relationships are found between personality factors and delinquent behaviors in gangs. The findings are examined in the light of several hypotheses drawn from theories of personality and of gang delinquency.