delaing with offendinf behaviour - anger management Flashcards
CBT
Novaco
suggest that cognitive factors trigger the emotional arousal which generally precedes aggressive acts
argument is that’s in soem people anger is often quick to surface especially situations
that are perceived to be anxiety inducing or threatening
becoming angry is reinforced by the indivuals feeling of control in that situation
anger management programmes are a form of CBT
indivual is taught how to recognise the cognitive factors that trigger their anger and loss of control
encouraged to develop techniques which bring about conflict resolution without the need for violence
1, cognitive preparation
stage requires an offender to reflect on past experiences and consider the typical pattern of their anger
offender learns to identify those situations which act as triggers to anger
if the way in which the offender interprets the event is irrational the therapists tole is to make this clear
- skills acquisition
offenders are introduced to a range of techniques and skills to help them deal with anger provoking situations more rationally and effectively
cognitive - positive self talk to encourage calmness
behavioural - assertiveness training in how to communicate more effectively which will become an automatic response if practiced regularly
physiologically - deal with the physical reaction to anger such as using relaxation raining or meditation
aim is to control ones emotions rather than being controlled by them
application practice
offenders are given to opportunity to practice 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 feeling of anger and acts of violence in the past
requires a certain amount of commitment form the offfneder
must see each scanrio as real
also requires a certain making of bravery from the therapy
if the offender deals successfully witht he role play this is given positive reinforcement by the therapist
positive outcome with young offenders
Keen et al
studied progress made with yong offenders aged between 17 and 21 who took part in a nationally recognised anger management programme
course comprises of eight 2 hour sessions
first 7 over the three week period with the last session a month afterwards
although there were initial issues such as offenders not taking the course seriously anf indivuals forgetting routines such as the requirement to bring in their diary
final outcome were generally positive
offenders reported increased awareness of their anger management difficulties and an increased capactiy to excessive self control
strength
better than behaviour modification
benefits may outlast those of behaviour modification
anger management i’d to take one of the cases of offending
anger management tries to tackle one of the causes of offending
cognitive processes the trigger anger and offending behaviour
alternative treatments such as behaviour modification deal with only surface level behaviour and not the processes which drive such behaviour
expeirnce of anger management may give offenders new insight into the cause of their criminality and allow them to self-discover ways of managing themselves outside of prison settling
suggest that anger management is more likely than behaviour modification to lead to permanent behavioural change
limitation
indivual differences
success of the treatment may depend on individual factors
Howells et al
investigation with australian offenders
researchers found that participation in an anger management programme had little overall impact when compared to control group
who removed no treatment
not true for all offenders
significant progress was made with those offenders who had showed intense levels of anger before the programme
also offender who wer open to change and highly motivated from the outset experienced similar gain
suggests that’s a anger management may only benefit offenders who fit a certain profile
limitation
expensive
likely to become an expensive option
require the services of highly trained specialists who are used to dealing with violent offenders
many prions may not have the resources to fund such programmes
success of anger management is often based on the commitment of those who participate and this may be a problem if prisoners are uncooperative
change takes time and this is ultimately lieklt to add to the expense of delivering effective programmes
suggest that effective anger management programmes are probably not going to work in most prisons
