dispositional explanation

• what is instituitional aggression?

  • aggressive/violent behaviour in a formally organised setting
  • eg prison
• dispositional explanation?

  • characteristics of an individual
  • behaviour caused by internal characteristics that reside within individuals personality
• importation model?

  • aggression occurs within institutions due to characteristics that prisoners import inside with them
  • aggression that occurs inside of prison is same as outside
  • prisoner was aggressive prior to being put into prison - have imported aggressive trait into prison
• factors for aggression outside of prison?

  • biological - maoa l gene
  • social psychological - slt
• de lisi 2011?

  • studied 813 juvenile officers in an institution in canada
  • found those who had history of childhood trauma & substance abuse committed more acts of violence in prison than those who did not have these dispositional traits
  • shows its not prison setting causing aggression but dispositional traits held by offender outside of prison that they import to prison environment
• 2 * of dispositional explanation?

  1. evidence from kane & janus 1981
  2. evidence from de lisi 2004
• 4 X of dispositional explanation?

  1. correlational research
  2. contradicted by deprivation model
  3. may be a better explanation
  4. cannot be used to explain aggressive riot in brazil prison
• * evidence from kane & janus 1981?

  • found that people wo had lower level of education & were unemployed were more likely to be violent & aggressive in prisons than those who were not
  • shows that when you have dispositional traits - low levels of education outside of prison then it causes aggression in prison
• * evidence from de lisi 204?

  • studied 831 US male inmates & found that there was significant correlation between gang membership (outside) & prison aggression
  • sows that dispositional traits of being in a gang outside of prison led to inside prison aggression when arrested
• X correlational research?

  • cause & effect relationship cannot be established between gang membership as a dispositional trait & aggression within prison
  • may be other factors that cause inmates to be aggressive
  • eg in prisons may be fear for their own safety resulting in aggression
  • cannot be concluded that only dispositional factors influence aggression
  • may be other factors
  • shows explanation lacks accuracy
• X may be a better explanation?

  • this model suggests that only factors to do with a person causes them to be aggressive within an institution
  • completely ignores situation of prison that could contribute to aggression
  • better explanation - takes into account both situational & dispositional explanations - interactionist model
  • eg diathesis stress model
  • we are all predisposed to same dispositional factors (biology) but we need situation factors (prison) to trigger aggression.
  • may be better holistic explanations
• X contradicted by deprivation model?

  • this model suggests that aggression in an institution is due to situational factors
  • its loss of key needs that leads to aggression
  • not dispositional factors outside of prison that are imported into prison that cause aggressive behaviour
  • may be better explanation for institutional aggression than importation model
• X cannot be used to explain riot in brazil prison?

  • diathesis stress model suggests that its a combination of dispositional & situational factors as shown in brazil prison riots
  • overcrowding (situational) & gang membership (dispositional) cause aggression in prisons
  • a better suited explanation is diathesis stress model which combines both dispositional & situational factors