Non-bio treatment for criminals - anger management Flashcards
What is anger management therapy? (3 points)
A treatment given to violent convicts
Used to recognise people’s anger and help them control it - may be a cause of their offending behaviour
Involves identifying the signs that trigger anger (activating events) as well as learning techniques to calm down and deal with the situation in a positive way
What are Novaco’s (1997) Three stages of Anger Management?
Cognitive preparation
Skills training/acquisition
Application practice
What is ‘Cognitive preparation’, the first stage of Novaco’s (1997) Three stages of Anger Management? (3 points)
The therapist and offender look at what emotions/associations/ triggers make them turn to anger
By understanding the source of the anger, the patient, with the help of the therapist, can learn what places, people and/or feelings/situations to avoid in order to stop getting angry and in turn commit crimes
The therapist will identify irrational beliefs that the person has and begin to think how to challenge them
What is ‘Skills training/acquisition’, the second stage of Novaco’s (1997) Three stages of Anger Management? (5 points)
The patient learn ways to control the patterns of behaviour that lead to their anger
Skills are developed on an individual basis
- Cognitive: beliefs and schemas
- Behavioural: how a person presents in a situation which may increase hostility/the cause of their anger
- Physiological: how a person physically reacts to stress before anger
What is ‘Application practice’, the third stage of Novaco’s (1997) Three stages of Anger Management? (5 points)
Offenders are allowed to practice their new skills within a carefully monitored environment using role-play
The successful response would be met with positive reinforcement from the therapist
Next, they are encouraged to apply the learnt strategies in real life when the world presents them
Between sessions, the patient keeps a diary detailing important events to record their progress - times they feel angry, how they got angry, what they did, and how successful their anger management was
Return to therapy to discuss the diary and further discuss triggers and refine skills
What are the 2 strengths and 3 weaknesses of anger management as a treatment for criminals?
Strengths:
Ireland (2005)
Howells (2005)
Weaknesses:
Biologically reductionist
Doesn’t account for pre-meditated crime
Form of social control
How does Ireland (2005) support anger management as a treatment for criminals? (5 points)
Randomised trial allocated participants to a waiting list group (control or to receive 12 sessions of Anger Management therapy following Novaco’s framework)
Self-report data and staff behaviour checklist (observation) were recorded
92% showed improvement on one measure, and 48% showed improvement on both self-report and observations - most improvements were seen in those with violent offences
This shows that AM is more effective than no treatment at all
However, self-report data might be invalid due to social desirability bias and the observation data may be invalid due to researcher bias
How does Howells et al (2005) support anger management as a treatment for criminals? (5 points)
Gave prisoners with a history of violent crimes 10 sessions of anger management derived from Novaco’s framework
Offenders who completed the program showed significantly greater ‘Improvement in Anger Management Knowledge (WAKS)’ than those in the control group - seen in the 2-month follow-up but not at 6 months after
The therapy group had an improved ability to manage their anger - not a statistically significant improvement
Positive correlation between ‘Treatment Readiness’ and ‘Progress made’ after course completion
Highlights that anger management programs have some success but the impacts are not necessarily maintained nor useful for those offenders who are not motivated to change
How does the effectiveness of psychological therapies challenge Howells et al (2005)? (3 points)
Psychological therapies may be unsuitable for some individuals because anger management requires the patient to discuss openly and honestly their thoughts and feelings with a therapist
Children and some adults do not have the cognitive ability or insight to reflect and challenge their beliefs, identify triggers and develop behavioural skills (e.g., assertion training)
Overall, the research is mostly supportive if the patient is motivated, competent, and the patient has self-awareness
How does anger management being biologically reductionist refute it as a treatment for criminals? (4 points)
Patients with anger problems may have a biologically induced personality or brain injury - can’t control aggressive impulses
They may have a low threshold in the sympathetic nervous system, causing them to be neurotic
Psychological treatments over-emphasize thoughts and beliefs in the mind, minimising the importance of features that the patient inherits
However,a disposition to be impulsive, aggressive and anti-social doesn’t mean that with continued therapy and effort, progress can’t be made
How does anger management not taking pre-meditated crime into account refute it as a treatment for criminals? (2 points)
Some psychopathic patients could use the assertion/social skills to commit further manipulative offences
As a result, they can commit crimes more effectively than before, which is a problem because the treatments aim to reduce criminality, not improve its efficiency
How does anger management possibly being a form of social control refute it as a treatment for criminals? (4 points)
HCP Council Guidelines 2009 state that therapists must maintain fitness to practice, and professionals must know the limits of their practice
The success of the treatments depends on the patient’s ability to adopt new forms of thinking and ways of behaving that the therapist deems acceptable
Anger management is arguably a form of social control involving compliance with the therapist’s way of seeing the world - may involve bias and preferences
However, it may be less invasive and controlling compared to drug treatments
