treatment of offenders: CBT - anger management

Question 1

what does Novaco describe anger as?

Answer 1

strong emotion that can affect a person’s physiology, cognition and behaviour. some offenders are more likely to see certain situations as stressful/threatening so may act aggressively rather than rationally

Question 2

what is the assumption of anger management?

Answer 2

the offender’s inability to control their anger is the root cause of offending

Question 3

what is the ‘cycle of anger’?

Answer 3

• triggering event
• negative thoughts
• emotional response
• physical symptoms
• behavioural response

Question 4

summarise what an anger management programme can involve

Answer 4

• identify triggers & learn to control them
• relexation techniques
• small groups so the offender can cope with others opinions
• around 10 sessions
• complete an anger diary
• learn skills to reduce frequency, intensity and duration of anger to lower likelihood of aggression

Question 5

what is the cognitive preparation phase?

Answer 5

• offenders identify anger provoking situations in order to recognise when outbursts may occur
• think about patterns of anger and negative consequences
• challenge these thought patterns

Question 6

what is the skill aquisition phase?

Answer 6

• learn effective ways of dealing with anger
• learn coping skills eg count to ten to create an automatic response from regular practise

Question 7

what is the application phase?

Answer 7

• role plays of anger provoking situations
• practise new skills
• reconstruct events where offender lost control in the past