What Have They Told Us About Gangs? a Content Analysis of Twentieth Century Texts on U.S. Gangs
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Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 6-2002 What Have They Told Us About Gangs? A Content Analysis of Twentieth Century Texts on U.S. Gangs Douglas Lee Gilbertson Western Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, and the Sociology of Culture Commons Recommended Citation Gilbertson, Douglas Lee, "What Have They Told Us About Gangs? A Content Analysis of Twentieth Century Texts on U.S. Gangs" (2002). Dissertations. 1227. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/1227 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WHAT HAVE THEY TOLD US ABOUT GANGS? A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF TWENTIETH CENTURY TEXTS ON U.S. GANGS by Douglas Lee Gilbertson A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Sociology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan June 2002 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. WHAT HAVE THEY TOLD US ABOUT GANGS? A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF TWENTIETH CENTURY TEXTS ON U.S. GANGS Douglas Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D. Western Michigan University, 2002 Inspired by a scholarly desire to understand and explain things, formal theoretical explanations for the social problem of gangs have been around just about as long as gangs themselves. This is an inductive content analysis of the texts within twentieth century works explaining gangs. This study explores those explanations as social artifacts and analyzes the text within them in order to identify textual similarities. This is accomplished by consolidating codified text or words until typologies of abstract theoretical concepts are revealed. The purpose of this study is to identify probable causal factors for gang formation and gang- joining behavior that could be addressed while developing community programs and projects. The study approaches this problem by posing four research questions. The first research question is directed at the study's literature review. (1) What theoretical concepts, specifically sociological, can be employed to interpret the texts and to develop categories Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. and classes? This is followed by a generalized question centered on the research method and design. (2) Are explanations related to gang formation and gang-joining behavior so individually unique that their textual themes cannot be consolidated into categories under classes? Two additional questions, specific in nature and related to the study's findings and conclusions, are then posed. (3) What categories and classes were formed? (4) What typologies were derived from the categories and classes? Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3080233 Copyright 2002 by Gilbertson, Douglas Lee All rights reserved. UMI* UMI Microform 3080233 Copyright 2003 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by Douglas Lee Gilbertson 2002 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to thank the members of the dissertation committee, Drs. Lewis Walker, Morton Wagenfeld, and Ronald Kramer from the Sociology Department, and Dr. Lewis Carlson from the History Department. Their effort and guidance in completing this research project was exemplary. The extra time that they spent outside of normal university parameters advancing this author's body of knowledge, and responding to numerous e-mails and phone calls, is greatly valued. The author expresses sincere thanks to the committee members who recently retired and saw this dissertation through to completion (Drs. Lewis Walker, Morton Wagenfeld, and Lewis Carlson). The extensive role of Dr. Ronald Kramer in this author's academic progress deserves recognition and thanks. As well as sitting on this dissertation committee, he chaired both area exams (criminology and social problems) and offered his classroom for the teaching practicum experience. Special appreciation goes to Drs. Lewis Walker (the dissertation committee chair) and Dick Andzenge (Saint Cloud State University). Their concern and devotion respective to this research project and the establishment ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgments—continued of mentoring relationships with the author are recognized for the long-term influence that both will have on the author's career within acadmeme. A final note of thanks goes to Drs. Robert Prout and John Campbell (Saint Cloud State University), and James and Joanne Faris (Anchorage, Alaska), who persistently encouraged the author to complete this dissertation. Douglas Lee Gilbertson Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated: To my Lord and Savior, who gave me fortitude, comfort and wisdom throughout the writing of this work. To my father, Dwayne L. Gilbertson, whose life provides a role model to always seek betterment of one's situation, and who taught me to laugh even in difficult times. To my mother, Sandra J. Gilbertson, who bore this "species-being" into the world, and who continues to encourage my self-actualization. To my step-mother, Nila J. Gilbertson, who completed her B.S. in nursing with high marks while working full-time at night--she stands as an example of true academic effort and intellectual pursuit. Douglas Lee Gilbertson Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................ ii DEDICATION.............................................. iv CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ...................................... 1 The Problem .................................... 1 The Purpose of the S t u d y ...................... 6 Explication of Theoretical Concepts ........ 7 Exploration for Textual Themes ............. 7 Research Approach....................... 7 Research Questions ...................... 9 Research Hypotheses..................... 9 Exploitation of Conceptual Typologies ..... 10 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................. 13 C o m m e n t s ....................................... 13 Environmental Conditions ...................... 15 Social Relationships .......................... 26 The Social Self ................................ 50 Social Action .................................. 65 S u m m a r y ........................................ 80 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. List of Contents—continued CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHOD AND DESIGN ...................... 87 Method Selection .............................. 87 Conceptualization ............................. 88 Twentieth Century Texts ................... 88 Study-specific Definition................. 89 Criteria of Selection...................... 97 Open Coding................................ 98 Research Populations .......................... 100 Target Population.......................... 100 Survey Population.......................... 100 Sample Population.......................... 102 Data Collection and Processing............... 103 Recording Sheet ............................ 103 Filing System.............................. 104 Operationalization ............................ 105 Unit of Analysis..........................