Aggression - Institutional Aggression Flashcards
What is institutional aggression?
Aggressive or violent behaviour which occurs within a formal organised setting.
What two categories have psychologists suggested explain institutional aggression?
Dispositional and situational.
What is the dispositional explanation of aggression?
Suggests that the high level of aggression in prisoners is due to the personal characteristics of the prisoners in the prison, not the environment of the prison.
What is the dispositional explanation of institu
What is the situational explanation of aggression?
Suggests that the high level of aggression in prisons is die to the environment of the prison. Not the persona characteristics of the prisoners in the prison.
What is the importation model by Irwin and Cressey?
This theory suggests that aggression is imported into the prison environment from the outside, as a result of prisoners’ personality. Prisons gather people who often have been convicted of violent crimes.
What are the individual internal characteristics of aggressive prisoners?
High anger level, impulsivity, experience of using violence to solve problems.
What are some dispositional explanations from Irwin and Cressey?
Gang membership: prisoner brings their prior gang alliances, Freuds and street culture with them into the prison environments.
Other personal factors: withdrawal from alcohol/drug addiction and level of education achievement.
Biological factors: these are also imported; high levels of testosterone and genetic predisposition.
What is Wang and Diamoond’s research evidence for the dispositional explanation?
Anger, anti-social personality style and impulsivity found these personality traits were stronger predictors of institutional aggression than ethnicity and type of offence committed.
What was Delisi research evidence for the dispositional explanation?
Low self control, particular to lose temper easily, was a predictor of aggressive behaviour before and during incarceration.
