The fear and vulnerability direct individuals toward the need of protection, loyalty, and relations which constitutes initiation into gangs. Without social controls, such as family, education, or prosocial individuals surrounding the individual, one may interpret their own values and morals (Riedel, Welsh, 2016). Lopez adapted the morals and ideals of his gang into his personal morals. The fear of Reynoso leaking the information of their prior criminal acts possessed Lopez resulted in his brain being stimulated to fight for protection against this threat. Majority of gang mottos or way of life includes protecting themselves as well as the gang. Reynoso knew about the gang and their criminal involvement of crimes which posed a threat. Lopez was protecting his “family” of gang members from conviction from law enforcement and saw the family needed retribution for abandoning him out on the streets. Loyalty to the gang and relations with members exemplify Lopez’s reasoning behind his actions from a social control theory …show more content…
Child abuse and neglect, excessive physical punishment, negative relations among friends and negative school events can be the stimulation needed for prompting deviant behaviors. The general strain theory encompasses the belief that experiences and strains among the individuals life are why certain individuals become criminals. With this theory, criminals are not born but made. With the strain triggers, the general strain theory has been expanded to when criminal behavior will likely result from. Strains that are more likely to result in crime can be seen unjust which provokes anger, in high magnitude which generate more anger since one’s ability to cope in a nonviolent way is unsettled, associated in low social control formed from the labor market, and creation of pressure or incentive to engage in criminal coping (Riedel, Welsh, 2016). Related to Lopez’s case, consideration into the strains found from his result into gang membership began with the creation of incentive to engage in criminal coping from carrying on the family tradition within the gang. As time passed, his involvement in criminal behaviors stemmed from low social control due to little education and inability to find work. Lopez’s entire life was filled with strains dealing with different parts from family ties to gang