12. Dealing with offending behaviour: Anger Management Flashcards
Who developed the cognitive behaviour treatment and how did he explain offending behaviour?
Raymond Novaco, he said that cognitive factors trigger the emotional arousal that generally precedes aggressive acts, he said that in some people anger is quick to surface in anxiety-inducing situations.
What is the behaviourist explanation for anger?
Anger is positively reinforced by the individuals feeling of control.
What is anger management?
A therapeutic programme that involves identifying the signs that trigger anger as well as learning techniques to calm down and deal with the situation in a positive way.
What is the aim of anger management?
The aim of anger management isn’t to prevent anger but to recognise it and manage it.
What are the 3 stages of anger management?
- Cognitive preparation
- Skill acquisition
- Application practice
What is cognitive preparation?
The offender reflects on past experience and considers the typical pattern of their anger. The offender is taught to recognise the triggers of their anger, and if there irrational to realise this with help from the therapist.
What is skills acquisition?
Offenders learn a range of skills that help them to deal with anger-provoking situations more rationally and effectively.
What are the three types of skills learnt by offenders as part of skills acquisition?
Cognitive; positive self-talk
Behavioural; learning to communicate more effectively
Physiological; methods of relaxation/meditation
The offender needs to be in control of their emotions not ruled by them.
What is application practice?
Offenders are given the opportunity to practice their skills in a controlled environment. This is often role play between the therapist and the offender. The offender has to commit to the situation and see it as ‘real’ the offender must be ‘brave’ and wind up the offender - meet success with positive reinforcement.
What is an example of anger management success in the UK?
Julia Keen et al 2000 - used a recognised anger management program with young offenders 17-21, 8 2 hour sessions. Initial issues with people not taking it seriously but overall offenders reported increased awareness of their anger-management issues and need to exercise self-control.
What are the evaluation points for anger management as a way of dealing with offending behaviour?
\+ Eclectic Approach \+ Comparison with behaviour modification - Limited l-term effectiveness - Anger may not cause offending - Expensive and requires commitment
How is anger management an eclectic approach?
It works on a number of different levels. It includes cognitive preparations, applies a behavioural perspective in skills acquisition and a social approach in the role-play in stage 3. Being a multi-disciplinary approach means it acknowledges that offending is a complex social and psychological issue.
How does anger management compare to behaviour modification?
Anger management tries to tackle a cause of offending rather than changing superficial behaviour. Tries to address underlying thought processes. AM is more likely to reduce reoffending than BM logically therefore.
How does anger management have limited l-term effectiveness?
There is little evidence to suggest it has l-term benefits. This may be because the applications element is still very artificial meaning the applications are untested and ineffective in domestic situations.
How is anger management undermined by the idea that anger may not cause offending?
Assumed that there is a straight forward causal relationship between anger and offending behaviour. Loza & Loza-Fanous found no difference in anger lvls between violent and non-violent offenders. If anger doesn’t cause crime anger management is pointless.
