Anger management

Anger management is based on what techniques?

Cognitive

What is the aim of anger management?

To increase the offender’s ability to deal effectively with feelings of anger, focusing on understanding and controlling them

Anger management is usually conducted in what type of setting?

Groups

How many stages are there to anger management?

3

What are the 3 stages of anger management?

• Cognitive preparation

• Skill acquisition

• Application practice

What is cognitive preparation?

The offender learns to recognise & analyse own patterns of anger & identify situations that would provoke an angry reaction

What is skill acquisition?

Involves learning skills to control anger & avoid anger-provoking situations or deal more effectively with them (e.g. self-talk & relaxation)

What is application practice?

• Opportunities are provided to practise the new skills by applying them in a controlled & non-threatening environment

• It involves role-play & feedback from the counsellor & other group member

How long is treatment normally provided?

Eight two-hour sessions

What does CALM stand for?

Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it

What type of therapy techniques does CALM use?

CBT

The 24 sessions that CALM consists of teaches participants what skills?

How to reduce the frequency, intensity, & duration of anger in order to lessen the likelihood of aggression

What other emotions does the CALM program also address?

Jealousy, anxiety & depression

Which psychologist used a quasi-experiment & an independent groups design to compare 50 prisoners identified as having anger issues who had completed CALM & a control group of 37 who hadn’t?

Ireland

How many sessions did the treatment group receive in Ireland’s study?

12 one-hour sessions over 3 days

What percentage of people in the treatment condition in Ireland’s study show improvement?

92%

As well as the treatment being effective in reducing aggressive behaviour in offender populations, what is another benefit of anger management?

It makes prisoners more manageable

What type of approach does anger management use that can be seen as a strength?

An eclectic approach

Why is anger management considered an eclectic approach?

It incorporates cognitive preparation in phase 1, behavioural perspective to develop techniques of self-management in phase 2 & a social approach in phase 3 when prisoners are encouraged to demonstrate skills using role play

How might anger management also apply in the real world?

Marital conflict

Cognitive management focuses on changing what as well as behaviour?

Understanding

Changing cognitions aids insight, enabling offenders to do what?

Self-discover other ways of managing their problem

Anger management can be argued to be better than what other alternative to custodial sentencing?

Behaviour modification

Who provided contradictory evidence using 271 Canadian male offenders?

Loza & Loza-Fanous

What did Loza & Loza-Fanous find about anger in violent & non-violent offenders?

No difference on anger measures

Why do Loza & Loza-Fanous argue that anger treatment programmes are ineffective with violent offenders?

They have the potential to encourage the offender to attribute his violent actions to anger for which he cannot be blamed, rather than taking full responsibility for his actions

What have studies such as Blackburn’s suggested about the effectiveness of anger management?

They are effective in reducing anger in the short term, but there is no clear evidence that they affect long-term recidivism rates

What reason has been proposed for why anger management doesn’t work?

Because the application phase of the treatment still relies upon artificial role play which might not properly reflect all of the triggers of anger experienced within the real world

What does anger management assume that may be incorrect?

Presupposes a link between anger & offending

What does some research show about psychopaths given anger management treatment?

They were more likely to offend afterwards, possibly because the skills they acquired raised their self-esteem & allowed them to manipulate others more effectively

What three things are needed for anger management to be effective?

• Careful planning

• High level of staff commitment

• Offenders have to be motivated to change

Why are anger management programmes more expensive than behaviour modification?

They are expensive programmes to run as they require highly trained specialists