Male identity construction and the quest for respect and power

Over the years, the patterns of action of young offenders in Venezuela have changed. The present research was conducted from a phenomenological and social construction perspective, allowing, from a qualitative approach, the analysis of the construction of masculine identity and the search for respect and power of young delinquents, applying semi-structured interviews as a collection instrument, guided by an interview guide, which only served as a reference. When analysing the stories, the following aspects were observed: the initiation of the young people into the criminal world, the reasons that keep them in the criminal way of life, how they survive in this world and under whose influence they are influenced.