Thought response mechanisms and theoretical frameworks

¶ … Saints and the Roughnecks": An Examination Through Three Sociological Theories

In his study of the Saints and the Roughnecks, George Washington University Professor William J. Chambliss made several sociologically important observations and posed several sociologically significant questions. Because of the similarities Hannibal shares with other small towns, readers can interpret the study's implications of Social Exchange Theory, Symbolic Interactionism, and Conflict Theory both for Hannibal and universally.

From the details Chambliss provides about the behavior of both the Saints and the Roughnecks, one can conclude that social exchange theory can explain much of this behavior. Though Chambliss admitted to having some one-on-one contact with both Saint and Roughneck boys, most of the boys' activities took place within groups. It is undeniable, therefore, that group behavior was an influential variable on the boys' behavior. University of North Texas professor Milan Zafirovski suggested that Social Exchange Theory can be applied to groups, and group social exchange theory was definitely at work within the Saints and the Roughnecks. Social exchange theory suggests that people form relationships with one another based on the costs and benefits of those relationships. For the Saints and the Roughnecks, this was certainly true. On several occasions, Chambliss pointed out that Saints relied upon each other for excuses from class, legal defenses with police officers, and prank playing. Acting alone, like Jerry did when he left class on his own, led to the Saints' fairing worse than they did when they acted together.

For this reason, the costs of refraining from a relationship with the Saints were far outweighed by the benefits. The same was true for the Roughnecks. According to the gossiping townspeople, the roughnecks were almost always observed in groups "leaning against the storefront" drinking and participating in other delinquent acts (Chambliss). By pooling money and effort, the Roughnecks were able to obtain liquor and vehicles. Thus, for each Roughneck, the benefits of joining the group far outweighed the odds. Just as Chambliss proves that, besides class, the Saints and the Roughnecks were more similar than the townspeople believed, that similarity is carried further by the fact that social exchange theory can explain membership in both groups.

Besides the group adaptation of Social Exchange Theory, the observations Chambliss noted in the behavior of the Saints and the Roughnecks can also be explained by Symbolic Interactionism. Symbolic Interactionism considers meanings and interpretations, questioning how social interactions influence the meanings humans assign to things and ideas. The Theory of Symbolic Interactionism can best be applied to Hannibal's townspeople. Because of the Saints' visible characteristics of being well-dressed, wealthy school leaders, the townspeople interpreted the Saints favorably, assigning an approving meaning to the group. Because the Roughnecks lacked the favorable visual connotations that the Saints possessed, the townspeople generally interpreted the Roughnecks negatively, and assigned a negative meaning to the group. In his concluding questions, Chambliss notes these reactions, questioning how the meanings that were assigned to both groups by the townspeople, school officials, and police affected their futures. For this reason, Symbolic Interaction theory can be applied to the case of the Saints and the Roughnecks. In assigning values to both groups, members outside of these groups most likely impacted the groups' futures, according to Chambliss.

The decisions of the Saints and the Roughnecks to engage in delinquent behavior can also be explained in part by Symbolic Interaction Theory. In her book Violent Criminal Acts and Actors Revisited, author Lonnie Athens describes a situation in which a troubled, young man is riding in a taxi, listening to the taxi driver describe how much trouble has come his way. The young man begins to consider his own troubles, which he believes are worse than the driver's, and threatens the driver with his knife. The young man acted violently because of his "physically defensive interpretation" of the situation (44). Just as Symbolic Interaction theory is applied to this situation, it can be applied to the Saints and the Roughnecks' reactions to police. While the Saints formed a non-threatening interpretation of interactions with police, the Roughnecks assigned a threatening meaning to the same situation, which may have resulted in the Saints' constant avoidance of arrest, while the Roughnecks were not so lucky.