institutionalized aggression

Question 1

what does the dispositional explanation state

Answer 1

Offenders who are imprisoned are, after all, individuals who will enter prison with a distinct set of personality traits

Question 2

what is the model for ts

Answer 2

the importation model

Question 3

who came up with this

Answer 3

Irwin & Cressey, 1962

Question 4

what is this

Answer 4

offenders ‘import’ their personality to the prison and engage in behaviors in line with their personality (including their past experiences)
so it assumes that if an individual enters a prison with a history of violent and abusive behavior then this will be seen in their behavior inside the prison

inmates bring “subcultural values” into prison — like toughness or disrespect for authority — which influence behavior more than the prison environment itself.

Question 5

what is the situational explanation

Answer 5

assumes that the external environment plays a significant role in determining behavior

Question 6

what is the model for this

Answer 6

the deprivation model

Question 7

who came up with this

Answer 7

Sykes, 1958

Question 8

what does this say

Answer 8

assumes that prisons are stressful environments in which bullying, abuse, depression, isolation and distance from loved-ones and material comforts all combine to promote aggression
liberty, autonomy and security are taken away and become lonely and bored so kick off

Question 9

what social psychological explanation does this have relevance to

Answer 9

frustration-aggression hypothesis i.e. it is frustrating to be obstructed from pursuing one’s daily activities, to be locked up for hours on end, to have to endure the company of others without any personal choice, to have no heterosexual contact in the matter and such frustrations may easily fuel aggressive behavior

Question 10

what do people import into prison

Answer 10

anti social personality style
gang membership
impulsivity
low self control

Question 11

what are factors affecting deprivation

Answer 11

overcrowding
high temperatures
noise
staffing issues (poor relationship etc)

Question 12

what is some good evidence for importation

Answer 12

DeLisi et al. (2011) - From a sample of 2,520 male offenders it was found that family background/upbringing was a strong influence on dispositional aggression and rule-breaking within the prison

Question 13

what’s some good evidence for deprivation

Answer 13

Cunningham et al. (2010) found that 35 prison homicides in Texas could be explained via the deprivation model e.g. fights about possessions, homosexual relationships, drugs

Question 14

what is a strength of ts

Answer 14

can explain individual differences

Question 15

whats evidence to support this

Answer 15

Mears et al: Found that gang-affiliated inmates were more likely to engage in prison violence.

Question 16

what can we conclude from this

Answer 16

real-world data from actual prisoners, making the findings more applicable to real prison settings. This increases ecological validity, as the results are grounded in naturalistic settings, not artificial lab environments.

Question 17

what is a issues and debates weakness

Answer 17

may be prone to both gender and culture bias

Question 18

how

Answer 18

the bulk of prison-based research uses samples taken from individualistic cultures such as the USA which means that there is a lack of cultural relativism i.e. different cultures may respond differently to incarceration. Similarly, the bulk of research uses male prisoner samples which means it may be prone to beta bias (i.e. the assumption that males and females will respond in the same way to being in prison).

Question 19

whats another weakness

Answer 19

doesnt account for biological factors

Question 20

whats evidence for this

Answer 20

Dabbs et al- studies show links between high testosterone levels and aggressive behavior
could be an incomplete explanation