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Gang Violence: Examining Ecological, Cultural, Social Psychological, and Psychological Factors Across the Life Course

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Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan

Abstract

This chapter examines gang violence across the life course. Gang members are often exposed to violence at an early age, but joining a gang increases their participation in and exposure to violence. The prevalence of violence in gang life is then influenced by the intersection of ecological, cultural, social psychological, and psychological factors, which increase the probability gang members will be exposed to potentially violent situations and guide their options for managing such situations. This chapter, therefore, examines how these intersecting elements of gang life influence gang members and contribute to gang violence.

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Correspondence to Timothy R. Lauger .

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Lauger, T.R., Lee, S. (2020). Gang Violence: Examining Ecological, Cultural, Social Psychological, and Psychological Factors Across the Life Course. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_104-1

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