Institutional Explanations of Aggression

• What is the name of the model for the dispositional explanation of aggression

  The importation model
• Who created the importation model (dispositional explanation)

  Cressey and Irwin
• What does the importation model belive

  Prisoners are not blank slates.

  They are individuals with specific personality traits, likes, dislikes, skills, personal history, attitudes, beliefs etc

  They essentially 'import' these traits into the prison which have been shaped by outside experiences.

  
  

  • They are therefore going to engage in behaviours that are in line with these, traits, likes, personal history etc - they are also likely to use this aggression to establish power and access to resources
• What are some factors that influence aggression (dispositional explanation) in Irwin and Cressey's importation model

  1. previously criminal background
  2. personality traits
  3. cultural and social influences
• AO3: Research Support for the dispositional explanation: DeLisi et al (2004)


  Studied over 1000 juvenile delinquents in Californian institutions - found that those with a history of violence outside the prison were more likely to engage in aggressive behaviour inside the prison
• AO3: Weakness of the institutional explanation of aggression

  1: doesn't account for the environmental factors within a prison that may cause aggression (i.e. SLT and De-individuation)

  2: Research may be limited to correlational data which makes it hard to establish causation
• What is the name for the model of the situational explanation of aggression


  The deprivation model
• Who created the deprivation model

  Skyes
• What is the situational explanation


  It attributes aggression to the stressful and oppressive conditions of the prison environment (e.g. the external environment)

  • Aggression results from being deprived of freedom, material goods etc.
  • It is made worse by an unpredictable prison regime.

  Aggression becomes an adaptive solution to deprivation
• What are the 2 types of harsh conditions outlined in the deprivation model


  Psychological factors: (e.g. deprived of freedom, independence and heterosexual intimacy)

  Physical factors (e.g. deprivation of material goods increases aggressive competition amongst inmates)
• What is Skyes deprivation model

  This model argues that aggression is a response to the deprivation experienced in prison, such as the loss of freedom, privacy and autonomy.
• Examples of deprivation (SHLAG)

  • security
  • heterosexual relationships
  • liberty
  • autonomy
  • goods and services
• AO1/AO3: Steiner (2009): factors predicting aggression

  Steiner investigated factors predicting aggression in 512 US prisons

  inmate-on-inmate violence was more common in prisons where there was a higher proportion of:

  • female staff, overcrowding and more inmates in high security custody

  These are prison level (situational) factors because they are independent of individual characteristics beyond prisoners

  • They reliably display aggressive behaviour is in line with the negative/stressful situational factors
• Which other explanation may support Steiner (2009's) findings that higher numbers of female staff contribute to aggression

  This is supported by the evolutionary explanation and link to the diathesis stress model.

  • This is because the external environment of the prison combined with the innate desire to reproduce which is aggravated by the presence of women who are not accessible aggravates the innate desire to reproduce.
• How could the frustration aggression hypothesis also link to the situational explanation of aggression (and the evolutionary explanation)

  • It could also be used with the frustration-aggression hypothesis because the prisoners are frustrated that their innate goals (to reproduce) are being blocked, so therefore become aggressive. (Dollard)
• AO3: Interactionist approach

  Many psychologists argue for a combined approach and suggest prison aggression is a result of the combination of dispositional and situational factors

  • The traits the prisoners bring with them into the prison make them more vulnerable to the negative effects of the prison environment
• AO3: strength of the institutional explanation of aggression

  • Research support

  Both models have been supported by research + real world examples.

  This strengthens the validity of the theory as researchers provide evidence of its prevalence.
• AO3: strength

  • real world + practical implications

  Both models have good applications to possible interventions and therapies to improve the quality of life for prisoners and prison staff.

  This is important especially with the deprivation model as by understanding how the quality of prion life can create aggression, we can also learn how to mitigtae it.
• AO3: weakness

  • Challenging research to deprivation model (Hensley et al 2002)


  Found when prisoners were allowed heterosexual intimacy on a visit is did not result in a reduction in aggression.

  • This suggests that either a lack of sexual intimacy doesn't contribute to deprivation of needs or there are factors outside the prison environment that contribute to aggression
• AO3: Importation model reserach support

  • Camp and Gae (2005)


  Found no significant difference in aggression over 2 years between inmates randomly placed in low - (33%) and high (36%) security prisons.

  • The researcher concluded the features of the prison environment are less important predictors of aggressive behaviour than characteristics of inmates
  • This is strong evidence for importation because there was random allocation of inmates.