4/ Agression - Institutional aggression Flashcards
what are the two main types of explanation which account for why there is a higher incidence of aggression within prisons rather than outside?
- dispositional explanation - charateristics of prisoners, they bring aggression into the prison with them.
- situational explanation - prison is an environment that creates aggressive behaviour because of its systems and regimes.
what is the dispositional explanation called?
importation model.
explain what is meant by the importation model.
prisoners are likely to have different values and norms than normal people - bring that in to the prison. Prisoners also use aggression to settle arguments, establish power and access to resources.
what supporting evidence is there for the dispositional explanation the importation model?
particular dispotional characteristics such as impulsivity, low-self control, anti-social personality positively correlate with aggression before and during imprisonment.
what criticises the dispositional explanation the importation model?
ignores the role played by prison officials - poorly managed prisons are more likely to experience serious forms of aggression.
how is the dispositional explanation the importation model gender bias? (beta bias)
focus on male prisoners - androcentric to assume male violence is the same as females.
what approach does the dispositional explanation the importation model ignore?
biological approach - ignores the influence of hormones, genes and neural factors, may be more aggressive because of these factors rather than their experiences before and during imprisonment.
what is the situational explanation called?
the deprivation model.
explain what is meant by the situational explanation the deprivation model.
harsh conditions lead to stress for inmates who cope by behaving aggressively. e.g. deprivation of their autonomy, possessions, material goods, important relationships may result in disobeying rules - aggression
what supporting evidence is there for the situational explanation the deprivation model?
maslows hierarchy of needs - - in prison its difficult to need an individuals psychological needs e.g. eating and sleeping therefore self actualisation is not possible which could trigger aggression.
what challenging evidence is there for the situational explanation the deprivation model?
levels of deprivation within a prison remain fairly constant and do not really vary, however aggression levels across prisons do vary.
what side of the nature nurture scale does the situational explanation the deprivation model sit on?
nurture - fails to account for biological reasons - may be better to explain when considering BOTH biology and experiences reacting together.
what practical applications is there for the situational explanation the deprivation model?
you could give more control to the prisoners e.g. earning money to spend on luxuries or time to arrange their cell.
