Aggression Booklet 6: Institutional explanations

Question 1

What is the AO1 for institutional explanations split into?

Answer 1

-Context of prisons
-Dispositional explanation/ importation model
-Situational explanation/ Deprivation model

Question 2

Explain context of prisons…

Answer 2

-Institutional aggression is aggressive or violent behaviour in a formally organised setting, in this case, prisons
-Two main reasons for institutional aggression: Dispositional and Situational

Question 3

What is the dispositional explanation?

Answer 3

Importation Model

Question 4

What is the importation model?

Answer 4

-Explains that aggression occurs within institutions because of characteristics that prisoners bring with them
-Suggests that aggression occurs inside of the prison, which is same as the aggression outside of prison
-Prisoner was aggressive prior to being put inside, and have been imported with this aggressive trait

Question 5

What does the dispositional explanation suggest causes aggression?

Answer 5

The aggression they experience outside of prison, which can be caused by many things, such as: Biological reasons or social psychological ones

Question 6

What is the main study into the importation model?

Answer 6

DeLisi

Question 7

What happened in DeLisi’s study?

Answer 7

Studied 813 Juvenile offenders in an institute in California, found that those who had a history of childhood trauma and substance abuse committed more acts of violence than those who didn’t have the dispositional traits

Question 8

What are the evaluations of Importation model/Dispositional explanation?

Answer 8

😀Research evidence to support: Kane and Janus
😀Research evidence to support: DeLisi
😥Incomplete model, interactionist better (Lahm)
😥Deterministic

Question 9

What happened in research study to support: Kane and Janus?

Answer 9

Found that there were a number of variables which positively correlated with being violent within prison: greater periods of unemployment, lower levels of education and being young

Question 10

What is the popcorn model as a contradictory model to importation model?

Answer 10

Popcorn model is a mixed interactionist model which suggests that institutional aggression needs people with the potential to explode, but this will only happen if situational (heat) is applied
-For example a person with violent history only violent if provoked or frustrated in the environment

Question 11

What happened in study Lahm to prove popcorn model?

Answer 11

Lahm looked at incidences of inmate-on-inmate violence experienced by 1054 inmates across 30 prisons and found main predictor of violence was age of inmate, but also found levels of overcrowding played a part, suggesting aggression both dispositional and situational

Question 12

What is the deprivation model?

Answer 12

A situational explanation that suggests it’s the prison environment which causes aggression, suggesting it’s a loss of key needs that is the main cause of aggression

Question 13

Which researcher proposed the deprivation model?

Answer 13

Sykes, thought institutional aggression originated from the institution not from outside
-He described five deprivations that arise from “the indignities and degradations suffered by becoming an inmate” which may ultimately lead to aggressive behaviour

Question 14

What can be used to remember the 5 deprivations?

Answer 14

SHLAG
-Deprivation of (S)ecurity
-Deprivation of (H)eterosexual relationships
-Deprivation of (L)iberty
-Deprivation of (A)utonomy
-Deprivation of (G)oods and services

Question 15

Explain deprivation of liberty…

Answer 15

-Prisoner isn’t someone trusted to live in the free world not allowed to go/do what they please, shown by using numbers and wearing uniforms

Question 16

Explain deprivation of autonomy…

Answer 16

-Prisoners have no power and very few choices, can lead to feelings of helplessness and frustration can turn to aggression, prisoners often told what to do but not informed why

Question 17

Explain deprivation of goods and services

Answer 17

-Inmates don’t have the stuff that we expect in the free world, Western emphasis on possessions makes this difficult, some people think prison is structured to make people live in near poverty, can bring a sense of failure to those inside

Question 18

Explain deprivation of heterosexual relationships…

Answer 18

Straight men find female companionship to define identity and success, so being denied this reduces men’s self-worth, as well as exposure to homosexual behaviour causing anxieties

Question 19

Explain deprivation of security…

Answer 19

Some prisoners report fears for their safety, many inmates describe other prisoners as violent and aggressive, and they can feel threatened

Question 20

What happens as a result of these deprivations…

Answer 20

These deprivations lead to increased stress for prisoners, as a consequence of suffering these deprivations some inmates act aggressively towards others in an effort to both reduces stress and obtain resources they lack

Question 21

What are the evaluations of the deprivation model?

Answer 21

😀Evidence to support: Johnston
😀Popcorn model/Lahm (same as earlier evaluation but don’t use twice)
😥Studies correlational
😀Can explain why prison riots occur

Question 22

What happened in study: Johnston?

Answer 22

Found that prison overcrowding leads to increased aggression, when more people in prison, more competition for resources so people join gangs in order to get more resources

Question 23

Why can it explain why prison riots occur?

Answer 23

Because in most cases prison riots occur as a result of a withdrawal of privileges or a lack of reasons as to why, for example Melbourne Prison riot, prisoners banned from smoking (a deprivation). This deprivation of autonomy, and deprivation of goods and services led to them rioting and being aggressive