Abstract: The research subject of this article is the reasons behind the increase in social problems in American cities, examined through the prism of psychological factors. The author chose as the main example the city of New York, which at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries experienced rapid urbanization and was one of the first cities to face the growth of social deviations in a rapidly changing urban environment. Additionally, the author is particularly interested in the destructive behavior of the “new” citizens in the context of national-cultural specifics. In order to study this phenomenon, the author applied an interdisciplinary approach, using the experience of related sciences, such as sociology and psychology. The author's main conclusion is that the difficulties associated with the fast adaptation of people to new living conditions often became a determining factor in pushing the poor New York population, which mainly consisted of immigrants, to antisocial behavior, which was expressed not only in addiction to drugs and alcohol, but also drove to violations of the city's laws.