institutional aggression

• dispositional explanation


  -characteristics/an individuals personality is what causes them to be aggressive
• importation model - Irwin & Cressey (1962)

  -dispositional

  -inmates bring subcultures of criminal behaviour into prisons, these involve values, beliefs, norms, attitudes & learning experiences

  -subcultures: criminal (repeat offenders - adopt values of others so can be trustworthy - internalise the criminal values, hard to rehabilitate); convict (seek positions of power, primary reference group is other convicts, maladaptive forms of coping, endorse the hierarchy of power - are familiar with gangs); conventional/straight (one time offenders, not originally part of subcultures, maintain a low profile - typically offenders of crime like white collar crime)

  -inmates import behaviours from outside prisons to negotiate their way through unfamiliar environments. Aggression is based on their characteristics, not the prison set up
• Delisi et al (2011)

  -813 juvinile inmates in California

  -all had traits like childhood trauma & increased aggression levels

  -found they were more likely to engage in physical violence and suicidal activity
• importation model (dispositional) - AO3

  Strength(s):

  -research support: 561 male inmates random allocation to high/low security prisons. Found no different in levels of aggression, showing that the situation does not impact aggression, the disposition does. Increases the validity of the model & explanation.

  -practical application: can put systems in place in prison to separate aggressive inmates and prevent violent acts. The theory has use.

  -Poole & Regoli: pre-institutional violence predicts inmate violence, shows there are dispositional factors involved which increases the validity.

  
  

  Weakness(es):

  -contradictory evidence. In Zimbardo's prison experiment, people were aggressive because of the situation they were in, not their personality. Shows that this is a reductionistic argument as it ignores that other factors e.g., situation impact aggression. ALSO reductionistic as it further ignores how processes in the prison can impact aggression e.g., lack of education in the prison.
• situational explanation


  -an explanation where the situation causes behaviour, contrasts the dispositional explanation
• social psychologists on situational explanations

  -people in crowded situations can be more aggressive as they are stressful situations
• Sykes (1958) - situational

  -aggression stems from environmental deprivations, these are:

  -deprivation of liberty

  -deprivation of autonomy

  -deprivation of heterosexual relationships

  -deprivation of security

  -deprivation of goods and services (e.g., no phone)
• deprivation model - Clemmers

  -aggression is a cause of the institution

  -harsh conditions are stressful, making people resort to aggression, they are deprived of freedom/independence/goods & services/safety/intimacy

  -this leads to competition against inmates creating more aggression

  -this creates frustration, reduces stimulation, causing violence
• Steiner (2009) - situational

  -looked at factors that predict inmate aggression, 512 USA prisons

  -more inmate-on-inmate aggression when there are female staff, African-American inmates & people in custody for their own safety

  -shows that aggression is based on the situation
• deprivation model (situational) - AO3

  Strength(s):

  -RWA: can change the situation of the prison to decrease institutional aggression e.g., cell arrangements/staff present. Has use. D: this is not cost effective and requires money from government funding which is already limited. Means that prisons are less likely to change which means that there will be no decrease in institutional aggression. But, these theories still have use.

  -study support: Zimbardo. There was increased institutional aggression based on the situation. Increases the validity of the situational explanation.

  
  

  Weakness(es):

  -reductionist: ignores dispositional factors that can influence institutional aggression.
• interactionist approach of institutional aggression

  -institutional aggression is caused by both dispositional (importation model) and situational (deprivation model) explanations

  -this is the integration model as it merges both models
• interactionist approach: Dobbs & Waid (2004)


  -inmates will have deprivation but this needs to be combined with importation/dispositional factors

  -this informs prison culture
• interactionist approach - AO3

  Strength(s):

  -this is a holistic approach. Involves both nature & nurture so has use.

  -practical application: can accommodate to individuals. Change the environment of prison & separate aggression inmates. D: expensive to do this so unlikely to happen decreasing the application of the theory.

  
  

  Weakness(es):

  -is theoretical: it is hard to test the impact of dispositional & situational explanations together (extraneous/confounding variables) so cannot be sure on a cause & effect relationship, decreasing the validity.
• Irwin & Cressey: prisoner aggression is the result of innate characteristics & personality. Individuals who are aggressive before entering prison are more likely to be involved in violence in prison.

  These researchers coined the importation model.
• Thomas & McManimon: willingness of prisoners to resort to violence in resolving conflicts reflects their prior behaviour outside of prison
• Sykes (1958) coined the deprivation model