COMPARISON OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOR IN A CRIMINAL GROUP AND A PACK OF ANIMALS

Abstract

This article presents a comparative analysis of the organizational behavior of criminal groups and animal packs. The main attention is paid to their structure, goals of existence, principles of interaction between participants and methods of ensuring internal order. Despite their different nature, both criminal groups and animal packs have common features, in particular, the construction of a clear hierarchy, the distribution of responsibilities and punishment for violation of established rules. In both cases, the effectiveness of the collective largely depends on properly organized communication. Criminal groups use verbal instructions, codes and conspiracies for this, while animals communicate through facial expressions, sounds, body movements and other instinctive signals. Despite the similarity in the general principles of organization, there are significant differences between these systems. Criminal groups are formed on the basis of a conscious choice of people, they are united by the desire for material gain, control over resources or power. Instead, packs arise naturally and serve primarily to ensure the survival of individuals in the wild: joint hunting, protection from predators, or reproduction. Membership in a criminal group usually requires recruitment or proving one’s loyalty, while in a pack of animals, the main factor is birth in a certain community or natural integration into the collective. The article also examines in detail the mechanisms of sanctions. Criminal groups often use harsh methods of influencing rule breakers – up to physical violence or murder. In animal packs, there are also forms of punishment: expulsion, subordination, or domination over weaker individuals. At the same time, the level of aggression in animals is determined mainly by instincts, and in criminals – by cold calculation or fear of losing control over the organization. It is separately emphasized that the viability and development of criminal groups and packs are influenced by various external factors. For criminal groups, the main threat is the activities of law enforcement agencies, competition from other gangs or internal betrayals. For a pack of animals, these are environmental changes, food shortages, predator attacks or natural disasters. So we can say that although the basic principles of organizing collective behavior in both cases have much in common (cooperation, protection, mutual assistance), the underlying motives, methods of achieving goals and ethical norms are significantly different. Analysis of similarities and differences helps to better understand the mechanisms of group behavior formation both in nature and in human society. To fully understand these processes, it is important to combine knowledge from sociology, psychology, criminology and biology.