The use of psychological formulation Flashcards
What is the aim of psychological formulation?
Psychological formulation aims to create hypotheses about what has led to someone’s criminal behaviour and why they may continue that behaviour.
How many phases are involved in psychological formulation?
Three
Phase 1 = Offence analysis
Phase 2 = Understanding the function of offending
Phase 3 = Application to treatment
What should the psychological formulations focus on?
They should focus on the key features about the criminal behaviour and should be short.
When creating a psychological formulation, what will the psychologists look at?
They will look at the past and present relationships as well as social and economic circumstances.
What can psychological formulation be used for?
To decide how likely the offender is to reoffend as well as possible reasons as to why they are not responding to treatment.
What happens in phase 1 - offence analysis?
They will analyse the offence to gain insight into the offender’s motivations.
What happens in phase 2 - understanding the function of offending?
This is where they look at what purpose does the offending serve for the individual.
What happens in phase 3 - application to treatment?
They will look at recommended rehabilitative treatment and interventions.
What is a strength of psychological formulation?
It is useful in complex cases, it brings together many professionals with the criminal justice system which means the case is managed effectively in order to work towards the best outcome.
What is a weakness of psychological formulation?
There are sources of bias in the process. Some of the information gained is from semi-structured interviews therefore the offenders answers may be unreliable. Also, the psychologists interpretation of the answers may be subjective.
What is another weakness of psychological formulation other than sources of bias?
It is difficult to measure success, the offender may go on to reoffend but may not get caught.
What is the application value for psychological formulation?
The approach offers a different way to reduce reoffending. It tries to tackle offending at its source, therefore educating the offender as to how they arrived in their current predicament could reduce reoffending in the future.
How can psychological formulation be linked with issues and debates?
There are ethical issues for example, the professionals involved have to be competent and have up-to-date knowledge. This ensures that the offenders are dealt with in a safe and appropriate manner.
