Crime: Anger management (Modifying behaviour)

Question 1

Who is the main sociologist that developed it?

Answer 1

Novaco

Question 2

What are the two aims of using it with prisoners?

Answer 2

Short term: Reducing anger and agression in prisons

Long term: Reduction of recidivism

Question 3

What points can be made when describing the therapy?

Answer 3

Anger in prisons
Key aims
Stress inoculation model

Question 4

How does the therapy tackle anger in prisons?

Answer 4

Criminals often have cognitive distortions such as hostile attribution bias where they assume the worst.
The therapy challenges these and helps them find new ways of thinking that result in less agression

Question 5

What are the 3 key aims of the therapy according to Novaco?

Answer 5

Cognitive restructuring: Greater self-awareness and control
Regulation of arousal: Learning to control physiological state
Behavioural stratergies: Such as problem solving, strategic withdrawl and assertiveness

Question 6

What is the aim of cognitive restructuring?

Answer 6

Greater self-awareness and control

Question 7

What is the aim of regulation of arousal?

Answer 7

Learning to control physiological state

Question 8

What is the aim of behavioural stratergies?

Answer 8

Such as problem solving, strategic withdrawl and assertiveness

Question 9

How does Novaco use the stress inoculation model?

Answer 9

Provides vaccination against future outbursts and is conducted in a group of offenders
Conceptualisation: They analyse their own patterns of anger and identify situations they feel most angry
Skills aquisition: They are taught ways to manage their anger to resolve conflicts in other ways
Application: They try them in controlled environments and then in wider society

Question 10

What are the stages of the therapy?

Answer 10

Conceptualisation: They analyse their own patterns of anger and identify situations they feel most angry
Skills aquisition: They are taught ways to manage their anger to resolve conflicts in other ways
Application: They try them in controlled environments and then in wider society

Question 11

What evaluative points can be made?

Answer 11

Supporting evidence
Limitations
Relationship between anger and aggression

Question 12

What are the supporting studies?

Answer 12

Taylor and Novaco: 75% improvement rates
Landenberger and Lipsey: 58 studies on CBT, 20 were anger management. Anger control element significantly related to improvement
Howells: 5 meta analysis showed only moderate benifits

Question 13

What was Taylor and Novaco’s supporting study?

Answer 13

75% improvement rates

Question 14

What was Landenberger and Lipsey’s supporting study?

Answer 14

58 studies on CBT, 20 were anger management. Anger control element significantly related to improvement

Question 15

What are the limitations of anger management?

Answer 15

Requires specific personality
Some may not like being critisized
Psychopathic offenders will reoffend and now know new ways to manipulate people
Drop out rates are often not reported

Question 16

What can be said about the relationship between anger and agression?

Answer 16

Loza and Fanous: 300 male offenders found no difference between violent and non-violent criminals in terms of anger
Self report techniques mean less validity

Question 17

What are the ethical implications?

Answer 17

Lack of consent

Therapist conflict

Question 18

Why is lack of consent an ethical issue?

Answer 18

Offenders can be required to take part so can’t give valid consent
Experiance of being in prison may make them defferr to authority

Question 19

How is the therapist conflict an ethical issue?

Answer 19

They have a duty both to the client and the prison which means that if the client tells them something that threatens the security of the prison, they must break their trust

Question 20

What are the social implications?

Answer 20

Prison environment
Financial implications
Reductionist

Question 21

What are the social implications on the prison environment?

Answer 21

It creates a better atmosphere

Question 22

What are the financial implications?

Answer 22

Reduces reoffending which saves money

Question 23

How is the therapy reductionistic?

Answer 23

Blames the victim and ignores that anger may have social causes such as inequality.