With many sources attempting to explain why youth join gangs, studies based on empirical research are optimal for revealing critical factors. This article will focus on combining these sources based on empirical methodologies with Robert Merton's Theory of Constraints to explain why youth join gangs from an analytical perspective. Empirical studies reveal a trend where youth join gangs due to a difficult economy and low socioeconomic status, creating a strong link with Merton's constraint theory. It is not uncommon that in today's world there are societal expectations and standards of ideal lifestyle. In the United States, the “American Dream” constitutes the ideal life based on the successful acquisition of wealth, status, and fame. Merton's tension theory explains how the mainstream promotes the American dream while ignoring the fact that not all communities have equal opportunities to legitimately realize it (Parnaby and Sacco 2004). Essentially, people can conform to this universal standard, but when they realize that they are severely limited, the result is anomie because there is too much emphasis on prosperity, while socio- economic is ignored. This leads to Merton's various forms of adaptation. : innovation, where the person accepts the objectives, but rejects the means; withdrawal, where the person rejects both the goals and the means; ritualism, where the person rejects the objectives, but accepts the means and; rebellion, where the person creates alternative goals via alternative means. Merton basically suggests that when a person is limited from achieving the primary goal, they adapt via alternative structures which may therefore be illegitimate...... middle of paper ...... American Dream. Works Cited Johnstone, John WC 1983. “Youth Gang Recruitment.” Youth and Society 14: 281-300. Lilly, J. Robert, Francis T. Cullen, and Richard A. Ball. 2011. “Crime in American Society” Pp 61-87 in Criminological Theory: Context and Implications (5th Edition) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Maclure, Richard and Melvin Sotelo. 2004. “Youth Gangs in Nicaragua: Gang Membership as Structured Individualization.” Journal of Youth Studies 7: 417-432. Parnaby, Patrick F. and Vincent F. Sacco. 2004. “Fame and Strain: The Contributions of Mertonian Deviance Theory to an Understanding of the Relationship Between Fame and Deviant Behavior.” » Deviant Behavior 25:1-26. Yoder, Kevin A., Les B. Whitbeck, and Dan R. Hoyt. 2003. “Gang Involvement and Membership Among Homeless and Runaway Youth.” Youth & Society 34:441-467.