GANG MENTALITY

At some time or another, most of us will come into contact with some type of 'gang mentality'. This may well take on a number of guises, ranging from the school-yard bully types, through to a various management structures. I'm not claiming that all these are of a negative or threatening demeanour, however, there is a common denominator between them all - they are all examples of 'strength in numbers'. For the purpose of this writing, I will attempt to illustrate the psychology and the appropriate structuring concerning a 'gang mentality', particularly with regards to a violence.

From a confrontational perspective, a gang operates with an unfair advantage. This being the fact that, due to the size and/or the reputation of its members, most targets (victims) will be extremely intimidated, perceiving the situation to be of a serious nature, even to the point of considering it to be life-threatening. The group of antagonists will capitalise upon this, with each member, particularly those in the lower elements of its structure, exploiting the group's strengths to the full. This in-turn promotes an even greater feeling of dread and fear within the target, which will be sensed and further capitalised upon by the gang. A clear case of being caught up in a vicious circle.

When confronted by a gang of any description (in some cases this may just be a member of a known group), the target is immediately intimidated by the 'collective reputation' of the group. An individual will perceive that they are facing the entire group as opposed to merely the single member. Now, I'm not trying to say that a person does not have to consider the threat of a gang as a serious issue. What I am trying to do, is to deliver some clarity as to how a gang operates and where it draws it strength from. With an understanding of their mentality and operating practice, you are afforded valuable information, enabling prompt action in the face (or possibility) of such a situation.

The Gang Structure

The main component of any gang is a 'leader'. This is a person who displays dominant characteristics. On their own they are not particularly competent at exerting their will over others. They will also often lack certain social skills, this can become a contributory factor in respect of their general behaviour and attitude. This person will seek to influence and control others around them. This often comes in the form of intimidation, being either physical and/or mental. They will usually be of an insecure nature, projecting their inadequacies onto other gang members and victims alike. This individual feeds on the suffering of those in his/her control, usually using any appropriate target as a means of displacing personal frustrations, using violence, or the threat of its employment, as a way of obtaining a satisfactory result. Within the realms of the gang, a leader possesses good manipulative skills, allowing them to motivate and control other people as well as gang members. A gang leader is not necessarily the person with the greatest physical presence (best fighter), but they do possess leadership qualities.

The next member of the structure is the 'activist', an individual who is a believing follower. This person's characteristics will show parallel qualities to that of the leader, in particular, their anti-social attitude. The distinguishable differences are that they do not possess the same level of motivation. They are opportunists, drawn to the leader because they wish to be like them. They consider that their inclusion in a gang will give them some form of acceptance, accompanied by a level of notoriety. The only thing stopping them forming their own organisation is that they lack the self-confidence or the mental competence needed achieve a suitable level of success. Because of their willingness to try and win the attention and praise of not just the lead figure, but also other gang members, they will constantly be looking to prove themselves. They, too, are not necessarily the most skilled fighter, but, due to their desire to be accepted, they will often go to amazing extremes to gain favour from their peers, readily prepared to surpass even their own expectations. Because of their disposition, they will often be used to 'do the dirty work'. Most gangs will have a number of these 'activists'. It is essential for the group's survival that some of its members compete for dominance and favour. The more 'competitive' these individuals are, the greater the gang's reputation can be enhanced. It is common for certain activist figures to run their own smaller 'gang', operating particular areas or independently to the main group, although when necessary, they will join the main body whenever required.

The lowest member of the structure is the 'menial' (hanger-on). This individual plays no major function to the group, other than adding numbers to its presence. They are usually people who want to be accepted by those who they perceive as being 'special'. This is usually because they are fearful of the other members of the gang. They see the opportunity of avoiding direct victimisation by supporting the gang and its objectives. Their personality displays little or no self-esteem or self-discipline. This individual will often suffer from problems with their own identity. A logical reason for being drawn to a gang is because it gives them a sense of 'belonging'. It also gives them an opportunity of recognition, something that in the realms of their normal, inadequate lives, they would never be capable of obtaining. Their role within the gang structure will often see them being used as 'errand-boys', whose purpose is to fulfil the wishes of their peers. The leader will often have little time for them, merely tolerating them, accepting their inclusion as a member purely to enhance group numbers and ultimately, its reputation. Occasionally their position within the ranks of the gang can be increased through loyal service or because they satisfy some specific beneficial purpose. During a situation, where the gang is to exploit a victim(s), this character will use the opportunity to play up to their imaginary status, often attempting to appear to be a higher member of the group. They will usually wait for the situation to become comfortably in favour of the gang before taking an active part, running from the back to the forefront in order to get their presence recognised. However, when they, or the group is challenged, they will usually be the first to 'disappear', or at least retreat and hide behind the stronger members of the group.

The way a gang 'performs' will be largely influenced by the motivations of the leader. Unlike our animal counterparts, a gang can occasionally operate under the leadership of more than one individual. This will obviously be effected by the aims of the gang and the way in which it operates, as well as the circumstances surrounding the formation of the gang in the first place.

The very fact that 'gang attacks' take place gives critical support to the fact that your personal and environmental awareness should be a paramount concern. As good as anyone may be on a physical level, when dealing with multiple attackers, every second wasted multiplies and complicates a situation. Many skilled and competent fighters have fallen foul on such issues. Without the use of appropriate awareness, you won't even get a chance to acknowledge the developing danger, let alone give yourself a fighting chance. Only in severe circumstances should a physical solution be employed. Remember, the graveyards are full of heroes.

If there are still any of you who are reading this thinking, "I could handle it", let me just point out a rather disturbing factor, something which is becoming an all too frequent occurrence in our increasingly turbulent society - 'Pack Instinct'. Exactly what I mean refers to the type of behaviour displayed when a gang reverts to the actual act of physical violence. Members of the group get caught up in the volatile atmosphere of the assault. Each member of the 'pack' will become stimulated and driven by the actions of the others. Within moments, the viciousness of an attack can be escalated to sickening proportions. The individuals of the attacking group will, without even realising it, begin competing for supremacy, trying to out-due the level of violence displayed by the other members of the group. Each participant will feed of the emotionally charged 'atmosphere'. The aggression level will very quickly accelerate to a 'frenzied' condition. Even the menial members of a gang will be drawn into the savagery of a gang assault. Such an event will be a considerable force to be reckoned with. Imagine trying to fight your way out of that type of scenario. Very few people possess the mental resilience, let alone the physical ability, to survive such a situation.

In such circumstances, the pressure would be severe, likely causing the recipient of the attack to succumb to the instinctive desire to take up a 'fetal' position (curled up into a ball). This action, even though it gives a feeling of 'protection', will place the victim in an incredibly vulnerable state. The ensuing assault will continue unchallenged. You don't have to have witnessed this type of attack to understand the seriousness of this. Nor do you need to ponder on the likely result. I am well aware that there has been a great deal wrote and taught about how to deal with this kind of encounter. The safest, and best, course of action regarding an assault of this nature, is not to be there in the first place. As I stated earlier, your awareness is your greatest attribute in surviving violent confrontation. Understand it and recognise the pre-incident signals. If you ever had to rely on physical abilities in a predicament similar to the type detailed in this article, then you may not live to regret not doing so.

Dave Briggs is a British Combat Association Instructor with over twenty years martial arts experience and a decade of frontline door security work behind him. He is available for courses, seminars and private tuition.