FIELD OBSERVATIONS OF MIDDLE CLASS "GANGS"

This paper describes the experiences of a participant-observer who spent two weeks with several groups of middle class deviant youths in a suburb of Los Angeles. These observations are related to prevailing conceptions of delinquent gangs, in an attempt to identify parallel and divergent characteristics of the middle and lower class groups. As a result of these observations and comparisons, questions are raised concerning the prevalence of highly structured gangs, dimensions which differentiate delinquent groups, the extent to which adult recognition structures and legitimizes gangs, and the essential similarity between delinquent and non-delinquent groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]