Objectives: This study examines illicit drug sellers’ explanations of how their identities and attendant responses to drug debts are influenced by the situational elements of accounts, relationships with customers, and their business concerns. Methods: The study draws from data gathered from in-depth interviews with 33 active drug dealers operating in St. Louis, Missouri. Informants were recruited using a snowball sampling design. Data were analyzed using qualitative methods. Results: Drug sellers explain their self-views as “drug sellers” and ideal responses to debts as associated with the amounts and types of drugs they sell and their relationships with suppliers and customers as a whole. They suggest that deviations from these identities and responses are due to accounts (in the case of sellers that use violence), relationships with specific customers, and business concerns. Conclusions: The results add complexity to understanding of the connection between drug market structure, sellers’ identities, and their conflict management. Results also suggest the connection between culture and drug market violence is more nuanced than previously suggested. This study also adds to criminological understanding of how accounts can deescalate conflict by altering identities of offending parties and grievants.

中文翻译：

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身份，情境因素和对毒品债务的回应

目标：本研究调查了非法药物销售者对帐户身份，与客户的关系及其业务关注点如何影响其身份和随之而来的对药物债务的反应的解释。方法：本研究取材自对密苏里州圣路易斯市的33家活跃毒品交易商进行的深入访谈所收集的数据。使用滚雪球采样设计招募了线人。使用定性方法分析数据。结果：毒品销售者解释了他们对“毒品销售者”的自我看法，以及对债务的理想反应，这与他们出售的毒品的数量和类型以及与供应商和客户的整体关系有关。他们认为与这些身份和回应的差异是由于帐户（在使用暴力的卖家的情况下）造成的，与特定客户的关系以及业务问题。结论：结果增加了对药品市场结构，卖方身份及其冲突管理之间联系的理解的复杂性。结果还表明，文化与毒品市场暴力之间的联系比以前建议的更加细微。这项研究还增加了犯罪学的认识，即通过改变犯罪方和申诉人的身份，账户如何使冲突升级。