A commentary on adolescent group violence.

In an effort to understand some of the group dynamic factors inherent in today's unprecedented increase in youth gang violence, the larger, well organized gangs of the 1960's, were compared with the contemporary crowd-like, small packs of street youths. A hypothesis is advanced that the combined processes of de-individuation and of group contagion underlie many of the violent acts, so rampant in inner-city areas.