dealing with offending behaviour: anger management Flashcards
what is anger management?
a form of CBT that involves identifying the signs that trigger anger and learning techniques to calm down and deal with the situation in a positive way
what is the aim of anger management?
- to teach the individual how to recognise the cognitive factors that trigger their anger and loss of control
- to encourage the development of techniques which bring about conflict resolution without the need for violence
what did novaco (1975) suggest?
- cognitive factors trigger the emotional arousal which generally precedes aggressive acts
- in some people, anger is often quick to surface especially in situations that are perceived to be anxiety-inducing or threatening
how does behaviourism explain anger?
becoming angry is reinforced by the individual’s feeling of control in that situation
what are the 3 stages of anger management?
- cognitive preparation
- skill acquisition
- application practice
what does cognitive preparation involve from the offender?
- offender reflects on past experience and considers their typical pattern of anger
- offender learns to identify situations which act as triggers to anger
what is the role of the therapist in cognitive preparation?
- therapist should make it clear if the offender interprets an event as irrational
- therapist attempts to break what may be an automatic response for the offender by redefining the situation as non-threatening
what does skills acquisition involve?
introducing the offender to a range of technques and skills to help them deal with anger-provoking situations more rationally and effectively
what 3 types of techniques are learnt in skills acquisition?
- cognitive
- behavioural
- physiological
what do cognitive techniques learnt in skills acquisition involve?
- positive self-talk to encourage calmness
- eg. idea of counting to 10 to temper reaction to a stressful event
what do behavioural techniques learnt in skills acquisition involve?
assertiveness training in how to communicate more effectively which will become an automatic response if practised regularly
what do physiological techniques learnt in skills acquisition involve?
- dealing with the physical reaction to anger eg. using relaxation training or meditation
- the aim is to control one’s emotions rather than being controlled by them
what does application practice involve?
- offenders are given the opportunity to practise their skills within a carefully controlled environment
- such role play is likely to involve the offender and the therapist re-enacting scenarios that may have escalated feelings of anger and acts of violence in the past
- this requires commitment from the offender as they must see each scenario as real
- this also requires bravery from the therapist whose job it is to try and evoke anger in the offender to assess their progress
- if the offender successfully deals with the role play, this is given positive reinforcement by the therapist
positive outcome with young offenders (keen et al. 2000)
- studied progress made with young offenders aged 17-21 who took part in a nationally recognised AM programme
- initial issues as offenders did not take course seriously and individuals forgot routines eg. requirement to bring their diary
- final outcomes were generally positive
- offenderes reported increased awareness of their AM difficulties and an increased capacity to exercise self-control
describe the ‘national anger management package’
- first devised in 1992 and updated in 1995
- developed by the england and wales prison service
- course comprises of eight 2h sessions
- first seven sessions over a 3-week period, last session a month afterwards
evidence that anger management works (ireland 2004)
- compared the progress of 2 groups of offenders, one of which took part in an AM programme adapted from the ‘national anger management package’ and the other, a non-treatment control
- after the treatment group had completed 12 sessions, outcomes were assessed using three measures: an interview, a behaviour checklist completed by prison officers and a self-report questionnaire
- researchers found that 92% of the experimental group showed an improvement on at least one measure
- 48% showed an improvement on the checklist and self-report
- there were no such improvement in the control group
evaluation: benefits may outlast those of behaviour modification
- unlike BM, AM tries to tackle one of the causes of offending ie. the cognitive processes that trigger anger and ultimately, offending behaviour
- BM only deals with surface behaviour and not the processes that drive such behaviour
- AM experience may give offenders new insight into the cause of their criminality and allow them to self-discover ways of managing themselves outside the prison setting
- therefore, AM is more likely than BM to lead to a permanent behavioural change
evaluation: anger management does not have long-term benefits
- blackburn (1993) points out that, whilst AM may have a noticeable effect on the conduct of offenders in the short term, there is very little evidence that it reduces recidivism in the long term
- this may be because the application phase of treatment still relies on role play which might not properly reflect all the possible triggers that are present in a real-world situation ie. it is reductionist
- therefore, AM may not reduce reoffending
evaluation: success may depend on individual factors (howells et al. 2005)
- conducted an investigation with australian offenders
- found that participation in AM programme had little overall impact compared to a control group who received no treatment
- however, this was not true for offenders who showed intense levels of anger before the programme or offenders who were open to change and highly motivated from the outset
- success of AM is often based on the commitment of those who participate, which is an issue if prisoners are uncooperative and apathetic
- therefore, AM may only benefit offenders who fit a certain profile
evaluation: expensive
- requires services of highly-trained specialists who are used to dealing with violent offenders
- many prisons may not have the resources to fund such programmes
- change takes time, which is ultimately likely to add to the expense of delivering effective programmes
- therefore, effective AM programmes are probably not going to work in most prisons
evaluation: link between anger and offending
- AM approach suggests there is a straightforward causal relationship between anger and offending
- assumption that anger is an important antecedent to offending as it produces the emotional state necessary to commit crime may be false
- loza and loza-fanous (1999) found no difference in levels of anger between offenders classed as violent and those classed as non-violent
- they also suggested that AM programmes may be misguided as they provide offenders with a justification for their behaviour
