Dealing With Offending Behaviour: Anger Management

Question 1

What is the aim of anger management?

Answer 1

Not to prevent anger, but to recognise it and manage it

Question 2

What do anger management programmes consist of?

Answer 2

The individual being taught how to recognise when they are getting angry/losing control and then they are encouraged to develop techniques which bring about conflict resolution without the need for violence

Question 3

Why do anger management programmes consist of the things they do?

Answer 3

Because it has been suggested that cognitive factors trigger the emotional arousal which generally precedes aggressive acts

Question 4

What are the 3 stages in anger management?

Answer 4

1. Cognitive preparation
2. Skills acquisition
3. Application practice

Question 5

What happens during cognitive preparation?

Answer 5

The therapist will help the offender reflect back on times when they have been angry in the past and identify potential triggers that make them angry

Question 6

What happens during skills acquisition?

Answer 6

The therapist teaches the offender skills to help manage anger in anger-inducing situations. For example, the offender may be taught relaxation techniques (e.g. breathing, meditation) and/or social skills (e.g. how to communicate more clearly & avoid misunderstandings)

Question 7

What happens during application practice?

Answer 7

The therapist and the offender practice the newly-learned skills in situations that may require them. E.g. if the offender punched their boss in anger, the therapist & the offender may re-enact that scenario and the offender will use the skills they have been taught to stay calm

Question 8

What is a limitation of anger management? (Effectiveness)

Answer 8

Blackburn (1993) pointed out that there’s little evidence that AM reduces recidivism — therefore it may not be an entirely successful way of dealing with offending behaviour

Question 9

What is a strength of anger management? (Holistic approach)

Answer 9

Uses a holistic approach as it takes into account the complexity of offending behaviour (it tries to address the cognitive, behavioural, psychological & social factors involved) — could be argued to be a more appropriate way of dealing with offenders

Question 10

What is a limitation of anger management? (Application)

Answer 10

Anger management is only an effective way to deal with criminal behaviours caused by anger (e.g. assault) — anger management is likely to have little rehabilitative benefit for criminal behaviours that aren’t caused by anger (e.g. burglary, drug dealing, etc.) — therefore limited application