Push factors include poverty, poor academic performance – school dropouts, unemployment, dysfunctional family background that led to lack of care and abuse, crime-prone and unsafe community, criminal members in family and even boredom. Pull factors, on the other hand, might include monetary gain, heroism, brotherhood – a sense of care, protection and belonging, access to illicit products like drugs, masculinity and sense of success as displayed in fights over turfs, and excitement. .
Global and Local Perspective.
A large scale comparative study was conducted by Gatti U, Haymoz S and Schadee H M A (2011) in exploring the link between what they called the "Deviant Youth Group (DYG)" and antisocial behaviours through student survey in 62 cities within 30 European countries, Mediterranean countries, Latin America and the United States. The study confirmed DYGs or youth gangs were more prevalence of delinquency, violence and drug abuse. Their associations with antisocial behaviors were quite similar despite the extremely different sociocultural environments of the different countries.
In the research by Lo T W (2011), which examined the Triadization of Youth Gangs in Hong Kong, it was also acknowledged that deviant youth would commit delinquent behaviors in view of their rebellious and 'adventure-seeking' nature. Local researchers in Hong Kong also found that deviant youths were exposed to more adverse family condition and easily susceptible to peer pressure in the negative sense. They displayed a more negative behaviour in school and involved in delinquent acts from fighting, collecting protection money, recruiting fellow members, intimidating classmates and teachers, to committing minor offences. They also had a higher 'sensation-seeking' tendency level (Tang and Davis, 1997).
Similar to the socialization theory (Oetting and Donnermeyer, 1998), which describes the process of an individual incorporating him/herself into new norms and culture, Triadization is regarded as a process where youth gang members adapting to the values and culture of triad societies (Lo, 2012).