Individual Explanation - Cognitive Distortions

Question 1

Errors in attribution

Answer 1

Attribution - attempting to construct causal relationships between actions + motives

Hostile attribution bias - always thinking someone’s motive of their action are always negative. (Smile = thinking bad about you)
-more negative interpretation = more aggressive behaviour
-intermittent explosive disorder, sudden anger outburst, lead to crime due to lack of self control
-maybe due to overactive amygdala

Question 2

Gudjonsson - Blame attribution inventory

Answer 2

-external attribution: blame crime behaviour on society or victim
-guilt feeling attribution: feel guilty
-mental element attribution: blame on lack of self control or mental illness

Gudjonsson et al - most sex offender guilt feeling attribution, violent offender more likely have mental element attribution

Question 3

Dysfunctional theory of mind

Answer 3

Theory of mind - ability to understand people have their own conscious views, thoughts and feelings.

Unable to understand consequences of actions - cannot interpret the damage they are doing to the other person
Feel less sympathy- does not know other people have their own feeling + people to take care off

-lack of care seen in acquisitive criminals who steals for own gain or satisfaction

Spenser et al - in young adult male, score less points in theory of mind, empathetic understanding + moral reasoning than contro

Question 4

Kohlberg’s Levels of moral reasoning

Answer 4

Hollin et al - explanation of reasons of criminal at different stage

Pre-conventional: break law is justified if punishment avoidable or reward > punishment
Conventional: do it if maintain relationship + society order
Post conventional: do it if maintain human right or further justice
-seen in terrorist, go against government to support a community

Hollin- those at low moral development commit more crime. Moral maturity affects criminal acts

Question 5

Real life application - evaluation

Answer 5

Carrying out Kohlberg’s moral development questionnaire
-if adolescent or adult still low in moral development
-register counselling (CBT) offered to prevent them to commit crime
-may reduce crime rate

Question 6

Causal relationship

Answer 6

What cause hostile attribution bias
-role of amygdala, causing more fear and produce more aggressive behaviour to even small actions (slight anger in facial expression)
-environment defence, rough upbringing or environment cause individual to become defensive since violent intentions are abundance

Question 7

Contradicting evidence

Answer 7

Theory of Mind
Spenser et al - found criminals have impaired TOM
Dolan et al - TOM unimpaired in anti-social individual (characteristics common in criminal), understand social rules and know when it is broken, but indifference to consequence
-more research is needed
-TOM may not be as credible

Question 8

Overall

Answer 8

-explain how mental process of criminal differs + possible therapies by identifying individual with faulty cognitive ability
-exact cause for these mental process unknown and require more research