Background Boyz n The Hood is widely regarded as among the most notable films in the American film industry. Released in 1991, and directed by John Singleton, it focuses on the lives of three adolescents – Tre Styles, Darrin ‘doughboy’ Baker, and Ricky – growing up in the notorious Crenshaw neighbourhood in Los Angeles, California. Style, who is raised solely by his father James Styles, along with Ricky, attempt to stay out of trouble; they even aspire to attend college. In contrast, Ricky’s younger brother ‘doughboy’ is heavily involved in LA street life, much to the disappointment of their mother, who struggles to raise both men on her own. Two of these characters fall victim to homicide due to the actions of Baker, a member of the Watts …show more content…
In Boyz n the Hood, Tre’s father ‘furious’ Styles teaches his son the importance of settling conflict in non-violent means. This is demonstrated when Tre eventually opts out of seeking revenge on the gang members that killed Ricky, likely due to the lessons learned from his father about the consequences of this violence. Baker had no male role model to teach civil conflict resolution; consequently, he resorts to behaviour such as threatening rivals with a firearm, which eventually leads to his brother’s death. Academic literature supports the examples seen in the film. Indeed, a study conducted by Parker and Maggard (2009) for African-American males over the age of 16 found that the availability of black male role models reduced the occurrence of aggravated assaults by 24%. The examples seen in the film and support from academic research is significant because it demonstrates two different learning processes for conflict resolution: a violent and aggressive approach and a civil approach. Hence, the film and research represent differential association theory, specifically the notion that criminal behaviour is largely influence by their intimate personal groups. Furthermore, it proves the importance of father figures to the socialization of young community members. Overall, adult male role models are essential for the socialization of younger members of the community, specifically in helping them develop socially accepted behaviours and conflict resolution