anger management Flashcards
why is anger management used as a treatment for offender?
to try and teach them more suitable ways to deal with their anger
who endorsed anger management as a treatment for offenders and when?
raymond novaco
1970s
why are some offenders put on the course?
due to nature of offence
personal characteristics
what does anger management teach?
relaxation techniques, proper eating regimes, cognitive restricting and assertiveness training
why are eating regimes taught?
to deal with physiological responses to anger e.g. increased heart rate
why is cognitive restricting used?
to retrain the thought patterns
why is assertiveness training used?
to deal with the behaviour element of anger
what are the three main steps involved in the treatment?
cognitive preparation
skills acquisition
application practice
what is involved in cognitive preparation?
identifying situations that provoke anger so they can recognise when an outburst may occur
understand what is triggering their anger so that it can become controllable
consider the negative consequences of their anger on others
what is involved in skills acquisition?
new coping skills are learnt in order to deal with anger provoking situations
can include relaxation and avoidance
taught not to be fearful of anger
why are they taught skills to control anger?
so that they can control it
why are offenders taught not the be fearful of anger?
as it is a normal human emotion experienced by everyone, shouldn’t be scared by should be able to control it
what is involved in application practice?
offenders told play a variety of scenes to practice new skills to control anger
conducted in controlled environments
positive reinforcement used to encourage behaviour
where does application practice occur and why?
in a controlled environment so they feel safe and so the untrained individuals are not at risk of harm
what kind of reinforcement used?
positive
at what stage is: identifying anger provoking situations positive reinforcement learning new skills to cope with and anger role play linked to?
cognitive preparation
application practice
skills acquisition
application practice
how long does the treatment last?
approx 10 sessions
who runs the groups?
a trained practitioner, in a prison might be a forensic psychologist
why are anger diaries used?
every time they feel angry, told to write it in a diary, will start to recognise triggers for anger and be in a position to evaluate which techniques are effective
what is the scaffolding approach and how is it used?
avoid giving expectations, as they are likely to need to develop understanding before they can use skills
what is an example of an anger management programme?
CALM
24 sessions
monitor and understand emotions
what is suggested about men convicted of domestic violence?(W)
has been suggested that they become less physically aggressive and more verbally after attending an anger management programme, shows that may eliminate one type of aggression but then replaces it with another
why might the treatment not be effective to all offenders? (W)
not all offences are committed because the offender was unable to control their anger, only effective on those with anger problems
why do pre and post treatment scores post a problem? (W)
may be invalid due to a third variable, such as life at home etc, meaning the results are not effected by the treatments
what is the weakness of self report data? (W)
open to social desirability, offenders may pretend to respond well in the hopes of parole or a better life in the prison
who could the treatment be more effective?(W)
the offenders do not focus on the victims of their crimes or the hard caused, nor do they deal with issues of morality, offenders often gain from victims a better understanding why violence is unacceptable, making it more effective
what do offenders gain from victims?
a better understanding to why violence is unacceptable
what did law find?(S)
investigated the effectiveness of four anger management programmes and found that offenders were trying to control their anger to a greater extent after the treatment
how may programmes did law investigate?
four
what did backer et al find?(S)
tested the use of a drama based anger management programme called insult to injury, 62 males from 6 uk prisons over 90 days, found there were significant reductions in anger comparing before and after the course
who was involved in blacker?
who may days?
what was the course called?
52 males form 6 uk prisons
90 days
insult to injury
