situational explanation

• what is situational explanation?

  • features of setting/environment
  • focus on influences that stem from environment in which individual is found
• deprivation model?

  • prison environment causes aggression
  • loss of key needs main cause of aggression
• sykes 1958?

  • institutional aggression originates from within institution not outside
  • describes 5 deprivations that arise from "indignities & degradations suffered by becoming an inmate" which may ultimately lead to aggressive behaviour
• 5 deprivations?

  1. liberty
  2. autonomy
  3. goods & services
  4. heterosexual relationships
  5. security
• deprivation of liberty?

  • prisoner is not trusted to live in free world
  • not allowed to go where they please when they please
  • use numbers/wear uniforms
• deprivation of autonomy?

  • no power & few choices to make
  • leads to feelings of helplessness & this frustration can turn into aggression
• deprivation of goods & services?

  • inmates dont have stuff that we expect in free world
  • western emphasis on possessions makes this difficult
  • some people think that prison is structured to make people live in near poverty
  • can bring severe failure to those inside
• deprivation of heterosexual relationships?

  • straight men find female companionship to be part of their self identity
  • being denies this reduces many mens sense of self worth
  • many opportunities for homosexual behaviour in prison can lead to anxieties for prisoners
• deprivation of security?

  • some prisoners report fears for their safety
  • many inmates describe others as violent & aggressive & they feel threatened
• what do these deprivations lead to?

  • increased stress for prisoners
  • as a consequence of suffering these deprivations some inmates act aggressively towards others in an effort to both reduce stress & obtain resources they lack
• 2 * for situational explanations?

  • evidence from johnston 1991
  • helps explain why prison riots occur
• 2 X for situation explanation?

  1. contradicted by importation model
  2. better explanations
• * evidence from johnston 1991?

  • found that prison overcrowding leads to increased aggression
  • when there are more people in prison theres more competition for resources
  • so people join gangs in order to get more resources leading to group aggression
  • shows when theres overcrowding & lack of resources in prison
  • leads to aggression in prisoners
• * helps explain why riots occur?

  • in most causes prison riots occur as a result of withdrawal of privileges/lack of reason as to why
  • over 300 prisoners noted the day prior to ban of smoking meant that they were deprived of their goods & services
  • led to them being aggressive in prison setting
  • shows that when prisoners are deprived of goods & services as a situational factor
  • they become aggressive within prison setting
  • showing its environmental rather than dispositional factor causing aggression
• X contradicted by importation model?

  • this is because this model states that aggression in prisons is due to dispositional factors outside of prison that cause aggression to be imported into prison within inmate
  • deprivation model states that its prison environment that causes people to become aggressive
  • this model may be a better explanation for instituitional aggression
• X better explanations?

  • this model suggested that factors to do with prison environment causes prisoners to be aggressive within institution
  • completely ignores features of person that could cause them to be aggressive
  • better explanations takes into account both situational & dispositional explanations - interactionist model
  • eg diathesis stress model
  • people are predisposed to be aggressive in institution (dispositional) it is situational factors that triggers aggressive behaviour/
  • diathesis stress model may be better suited explanation to take into account more of contributing factors