Boyz N The Hood Sociology

1898 Words8 Pages

Environmental factors have a significant impact on the behavior of people within a community. A film that showcases the sincerity of environmental factors within a community is Boyz N The Hood. The film displays an environment flooded by crime, specifically gang affiliations and drug dealing since it is the norm of the area. The adverse effects of an unfavorable environment on those who live within it, while represented in the movie are supported in other ways. Scientifically researched theories have helped in showcasing the relationship between people's behavior and their environment. Specific theories that indicate the linkage of behavior to the community are Merton’s Strain Theory, Agnew’s Strain Theory, Social Disorganization Theory, Elijah …show more content…

Exactly how culture impacts people depends on the environment of the culture as it can create deviant behavior. This theory is supported by Elijah Andersons’ Code of the Streets as, according to Anderson (2000), he indicates that crime is the result of varying cultural influences on the people within the community, specifically urban communities (p. 11). What better way to depict the effects of culture on a community than by comparing it to the community of Crenshaw? Crenshaw is filled with deviant behavior and this behavior has caused the people within the community to acclimate to it. Not only is the community filled with immoral behavior, but it is an area that is filled with struggling ethnic minorities. According to Youtube (1991), what can be seen throughout the film is a struggling ethnic minority community encompassed by crime since that is the norm of the environment. This norm is what Tre and his friends fell victim to, and because of the community's crime culture, most of Tre's friends were killed. Essentially, the suffering of Tre and his friends because of Crenshaw's crime culture sustains Elijah Andersons’ Code of the …show more content…

A theory that discusses the effects of a tainted community on the psychology of a person is the Psychodynamic Theory. According to Point Park University (2021), the Psychodynamic Theory suggests that crime is the result of conflict between the id, ego, and superego. The application of the theory can be seen in the film, according to Youtube (1991), when Tre becomes involved in drug dealing. Despite his father's teachings, Tre is drawn into the life of drug dealing as it is a standard in Crenshaw. Within the film, he constantly struggles with trying to do the right thing by staying away from other wrongdoers. But, it is not until the end of the movie that he realizes that most of his friends are dead because of their deviant lives, which results in Tre's perception becoming clear from thoughts of partaking in deviant behavior. It is Tre's internal struggles with not wanting to acclimate to Crenshaw's society that satisfies the Psychodynamic

Open Document