Anger management

Question 1

What is a form of anger management?

Answer 1

Cognitive behavioural treatment

Question 2

What did Novaco (1975) suggest?

Answer 2

That cognitive factors trigger emotional arousal which generally precede aggressive acts

Question 3

What do anger management programmes do?

Answer 3

Encourage the person to develop techniques that bring about conflict resolution without the need for violence

Question 4

What are the three stages of anger management

Answer 4

Cognitive preparation
Skills acquisition
Application practice

Question 5

What does cognitive preparation involve?

Answer 5

The offender reflecting on past experience and their typical anger pattern

Question 6

What is the role of the therapist in cognitive preparation?

Answer 6

To make sure the offender learns to recognise the situations which trigger them and realise the way they interpret the situation is irrational

Question 7

What does the therapist aim to do?

Answer 7

Break what has became an automatic response in the prisoner

Question 8

What does skills acquisition involve?

Answer 8

Giving offenders a range of techniques and skills to help them deal with anger provoking situations in a rational way

Question 9

What are examples of skills they can gain?

Answer 9

Cognitive (eg. self-talk)
Behavioural (eg. assertiveness)
How to communicate more effectively
Physiological (eg. Methods of relaxation)

Question 10

What does skills acquisition promote the idea of?

Answer 10

That prisoners are able to have control over their emotions rather than be controlled by them

Question 11

What does application practice involve?

Answer 11

The offenders are given the opportunity to practice their skills in a safe, controlled environment

Question 12

What does the role play involve?

Answer 12

The offender and the therapist re-enacting scenes that may have led to feelings of anger or violent in the past

Question 13

What does anger management require?

Answer 13

Commitment from the offender and bravery from the therapist who has to wind up the offender in order to assess progress

Question 14

What did Keen et al (2000) find?

Answer 14

Studied progress made w/ young offenders aged 17-21 who took part in AM programme.
8x2 hr sessions - first 7 over a three week period and the last a month afterwards
Outcomes were generally positive
Offenders had increased awareness of anger management difficulties and increased the capacity of self-control

Question 15

How is AM an eclectic approach?

Answer 15

It uses cognitive approach in stage one, behavioural in stage 2 and social in stage 3

Question 16

How is AM being an eclectic approach a strength?

Answer 16

It recognises that offending behaviour is a complex interaction between social and psychological factors

Question 17

How is AM a better option than behavioural modification?

Answer 17

It is more likely to lead to a permanent change in behaviour than behaviour modification programmes as It focuses on changing the way an offender thinks and behaves, not just behaves.

Question 18

What are the weaknesses of anger management?

Answer 18

Theres a lack of reoffending data so we dont know if the effects of AM are long lasting.
Limited in application - not all crime is anger motivated, not always a causal relationship
Very expensive and time consuming, requiring highly trained therapists