Anger management AO1

• what is anger management?

  • used to reduce the likelihood of recidivism and violent behaviour and is offered to offenders in prisons as a form of CBT
  • aim is to change the way offenders respond to situations that lead to anger and the physiological effects of anger, in order to avoid angry or violent outbursts
• how was anger management developed?

  • developed by Novaco
  • it changes the behaviour and responses of offenders by them processing through stages during therapy, all of which help to identify the emotional, cognitive and behavioural patterns of of behaviour that are required to change as a part of rehabilitation
  • encouraged to develop techniques which bring about conflict resolution without need for violence
• what are the three stages of anger management?

  • cognitive preparation
  • skills acquisition
  • application practice
  • remember by using Calm People Should Avoid Angry People
• what is cognitive preparation?

  • offender reflects on past experiences and consider typical patterns of their anger
  • offender learns to identify those situations which act as triggers for anger, if interpretation of even is irrational the therapists role is to make this clear
  • e.g. offender may view someone looking at them/or partner as as act of confrontation, in redefining situation as non-threatening, the therapist is attempting to break what may be an automatic response for the offender
• what is skills acquisition?

  • offenders introduced to a range of techniques and skills to help them deal with anger-provoking situations more rationally and effectively, may include:
  • cognitive - positive self-talk to encourage calmness e.g. count to 10 to temper our reaction to a stressful event
  • behavioural - assertiveness training in how to communicate more effectively which will become automatic if practiced regularly
  • physiological - deal with physical reactions to anger - relaxation training/meditation aiming to control emotions
• what is application practice?

  • practice skills within carefully controlled environment e.g. roleplay involving offender and therapist re-enacting scenarios that may have caused feelings of anger or acts of violence in past
  • requires commitment from offender - must see each scenario as real
  • requires bravery from therapist whose job it is to 'wind-up' offender in order to assess progress
  • if offender deals successfully with role play, given positive reinforcement by therapist
• what was the aim of Irelands 2004 study?

  • anger management therapy with young male offenders and evaluate the outcome of the treatment
  • to investigate whether anger management programmes are successful in reducing aggression in young male offenders
• what were the procedures of Irelands 2004 study?

  • natural experiment conducted where 50 male offenders who completed an anger management course compared control group of 37 male offenders who hadn't
  • both experimental and control group where given a cognitive behaviour interview
  • Wing Behavioural Checklist completed by prison officers rating 29 angry behaviours scoring 0, 1 or 2 week before interview
  • self-report questionnaire on anger management with range of items completed by offenders
  • experimental group completed CALM treatment, control didn't and both groups assessed on 3 measures again
• what was the findings of Irelands 2004 study?

  • experimental group rated themselves lower on anger questionnaire and were rated lower on aggression by prison officers
  • no significant reduction in either measures in control group
  • 92% improvements on at least one measure
  • 48% improvements on both measures
  • 8% no improvement
• what was the conclusion of Irelands 2004 study?

  • prisoners appeared to be helped by the programme, however it is unclear whether these programmes have a long-term effect
• what is CALM treatment?

  • Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it
  • aims to reduce offending by regulating emotional arousal and negative emotions through identifying triggers
  • develops rational thinking, communication and social skills
  • helps give problem-solving skills that can be used when there is heightened emotional arousal