TY - SER AU - Lorigan, Tony AU - Snell, Dave AU - Robertson, Neville R. TI - Sex, drugs and smashing skulls : : violence, gender and hyper-masculinity in a gang community of practice PY - 2016/// PB - Australian Psychological Society KW - SEXUAL VIOLENCE KW - ABUSIVE MEN KW - ATTITUDES KW - DRUG ABUSE KW - GANGS KW - MASCULINITY KW - VIOLENCE KW - WOMEN KW - NEW ZEALAND N1 - Australian Community Psychologist, 2016, 28(1): 9-23 (Open access) N2 - We examine how masculinity, specifically hyper-masculinity, is constructed from the perspective of a boy growing up within a white power motorcycle gang environment. One photo and three narratives are employed as the empirical material for analysis. The autoethnographic narratives are written in chronological order from ages 10-13 focusing on the first author’s first time experiences with violence, drugs, and sex respectively. The gang is conceptualised as a community of practice. A thematic analysis identified three key themes: the importance of hyper-masculine rites of passage in this gang community of practice; violence and intimidation as a means to an end; and the objectification of women and their positioning as inferior to men and the use of sexual coercion. Taken together, these themes illustrate how a hyper-masculine identity is developed within this context. This study contributes to research and knowledge on hyper-masculinity in the specific context of motorcycle gangs in Aotearoa New Zealand. (Authors' abstract). Record 5291 UR - https://groups.psychology.org.au/Assets/Files/Lorigan-ACP-28-1-2016.pdf ER -