No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
The psychosocial experience of role reversal for paraprofessionals providing substance misuse and offender treatment: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
Abstract
Purpose
– Many ex-offenders and substance misusers are employed in the treatment and intervention of offenders. The purpose of this paper is to investigate this role as a protective factor in the maintenance of desistance.
Design/methodology/approach
– Seven paraprofessional employees of a substance misuse service were interviewed using semi-structured interview and analysed by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
Findings
– Four super-ordinate themes emerged: “The Fragile Sense of Self”; “Hitting Rock Bottom”; “Belonging and identity” and “Maintaining the role reversal”. These themes captured the journey of moving through crime and substance misuse into desistance and employment.
Research limitations/implications
– The sample size is small; therefore generalisation is reduced. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) could be considered subjective. Further research should attempt to explore similar ideas with different populations and using different methods.
Practical implications
– This work suggests that practitioners and policy makers should look at the vital importance of paraprofessional employment in relation to desistance from crime.
Social implications
– Offenders and substance misusers are often left without direction or a fixed new identity, and return to the only life they have known. This study suggests that paraprofessional employment might provide a sense of belonging and identity that could benefit the ex-offender, their clients and society.
Originality/value
– This is an opportunity to advance knowledge in the area of paraprofessional employment as an aid to “recovery” and lifelong desistance.
... For four papers (Adams & Lincoln, 2020;Harrod, 2019;Nixon, 2020;Reingle Gonzalez et al., 2019), ML and GEN disagreed in their initial assessment of how elaborate the selection of participants was described. For the description of experiential peers in the study, there were four qualitative papers (James & Harvey, 2015;Lopez-Humphreys & Teater, 2019;Portillo et al., 2017;Reingle Gonzalez et al., 2019) for which ML and GEN disagreed in their initial assessment, with ML rating the description as lower than GEN in three papers. For the aspect of data collection and recording, they disagreed in their assessment of three papers (Kavanagh & Borrill, 2013;Marlow et al., 2015;Schinkel & Whyte, 2012). ...
Although support by experiential peers for individuals with criminal behaviour is increasing, an empirical basis for its effectiveness is lacking. The purpose of this review was to investigate outcomes, mechanisms, and contextual factors of individual support by experiential peers for individuals who display criminal behaviour. We conducted a systematic realist literature review to test and refine our initial programme theory, which included seven mechanisms that may play a role in the desistance-supportive outcomes of experiential peer support. We screened 6,530 scientific papers and eventually included 25 articles focusing on asymmetrical one-on-one support for and by individuals with criminal behaviour. The findings suggest that experiential peers show empathy and have a non-judgmental approach, are considered role models, establish a trusting relationship with clients, offer hope, connect clients to other services, and have a recovery perspective on desistance. We found results indicative of act-desistance, positive personal development and improvements in mental health and personal circumstances, although study results were not consistent. The information on contextual factors was too limited for a robust analysis. Future research should not only focus on objective measures (e.g. absence of criminal behaviour), but also on subjective measures (e.g. hope, self-esteem) and investigate long-term effects.
... Decades of research in role reversal spans several domains in psychology (Apter, 2003;James & Harvey, 2015), theater (Craig, 2003), critical incident management (Corrine, Adams & Cook, 2003), leadership (Crozier, 2003), stress at work (Doyle & Carter, 2003) and learning disability (Walsh, 2003). In the area of learning and development, Apter (2003) argues that reversal is an empirically supported, third component of change. ...
Research shows students often do not understand the expectations of employers and, as a result, how to prepare recruiter-relevant career communication. To help our students, we conducted a role reversal exercise where we asked students to put themselves in the shoes of recruiters and to make decisions as if they were actual recruiters hiring candidates who best met the job criteria listed in a job description. The exercise was designed to help students develop effective resumes and to prepare for job interviews. Students reported that the exercise changed the way they usually prepared resumes and approached job interviews. The exercise made them aware of the importance of including specific and relevant information on resumes and gave them insight as to the types of questions they should anticipate in job interviews.
In this article, we review new insights gained from recent longitudinal studies examining the development of self-esteem and its influence on important life outcomes. The evidence suggests that (a) self-esteem increases from adolescence to middle adulthood, peaks at about age 50 to 60 years, and then decreases at an accelerating pace into old age; moreover, there are no cohort differences in the self-esteem trajectory from adolescence to old age; (b) self-esteem is a relatively stable, but by no means immutable, trait; individuals with relatively high (or low) self-esteem at one stage of life are likely to have relatively high (or low) self-esteem decades later; and (c) high self-esteem prospectively predicts success and well-being in life domains such as relationships, work, and health. Given the increasing evidence that self-esteem has important real-world consequences, the topic of self-esteem development is of considerable societal significance.
Background:
Employment has been identified as an important part of substance abuse treatment and is a predictor of treatment retention, treatment completion, and decreased relapse. Although employment interventions have been designed for substance abusers, few interventions have focused specifically on drug-involved offenders.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to examine employment outcomes for drug-involved offenders who received a tailored employment intervention.
Methods:
In a randomized controlled trial, baseline and follow-up data were collected from 500 drug-involved offenders who were enrolled in a drug court program. Participants were randomly assigned to drug court as usual (control group) or to the employment intervention in addition to drug court.
Results:
Intent-to-treat analyses found that the tailored intervention was associated only with more days of paid employment at follow-up (210.1 vs. 199.9 days). When focusing on those with greater employment assistance needs, a work trajectory analyses, which took into account participants' pre-baseline employment pattern (negative or positive), revealed that intervention group participants had higher rates of employment (82.1% vs. 64.1%), more days paid for employment (188.9 vs. 157.0 days), and more employment income (6888) at follow-up than control group participants.
Conclusion:
The present study adds to the growing substance abuse and employment literature. It demonstrates the efficacy of an innovative employment intervention tailored for drug-involved offenders by showing positive changes in 12-month employment outcomes, most strongly for those who have not had recent employment success.
This article seeks to present a counter-case to the ‘end of work thesis’ advocated by writers such as Beck, Sennett and Bauman. It argues that work remains a significant locus of personal identity and that the depiction by these writers of endemic insecurity in the workplace is inaccurate and lacks empirical basis. The article draws upon case study data to illustrate how, across a range of workplaces, work remains an importance source of identity, meaning and social affiliation.
The study of desistance from crime has generated a wealth of research in the last few decades. Despite the many barriers ex-prisoners face when attempting to ‘go straight’ many successfully lead law-abiding lives. Two key features identified in criminal desistance are a shift to a pro-social identity and worthwhile employment or the development of a new career path. There is, however, little psychological knowledge available on reformed offenders' experiences of self-change. This study focuses on ex-prisoners' experiences of employment and career opportunities. Five male reformed offenders took part in semi-structured interviews. Data collected was subjected to an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Participants demonstrated that desistance involves a shift to a pro-social identity and that self-change was a positive experience. An important aspect to emerge was the conflict experienced by the label ‘ex-offender’, which had a contradictory influence on the men's sense of self.
Based on the Liverpool Desistance Study, this book compares and contrasts the stories of ex-convicts who are actively involved in criminal behavior with those who are desisting from crime and drug use. Extensive excerpts from the study reveal two types of personal narratives: a "condemnation" script favored by active offenders and a "generative" script favored by desisters. The way that these scripts are constructed and the manner in which they are used is then examined in light of contemporary criminological and psychological thought. The results suggests that success in reform depends on providing rehabilitative opportunities that reinforce the generative script. This study reveals a constructive new direction for offender rehabilitation efforts and will appeal to a wide range of readers from psychologists and criminologists to legislators, administrators, substance abuse counselors, and offenders themselves. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Offers transtheoretical therapy as one alternative when seeking a synthesis for the increasing proliferation of therapeutic systems. From a comparative analysis of 18 leading systems, 5 basic processes of change were identified by the present 1st author (1979). They are consciousness raising (feedback, education), conditional stimuli (counterconditioning, stimulus control), catharsis (corrective emotional experiences, dramatic relief), choosing (self-liberation, social liberation), and contingency control (reevaluation, contingency management). Each process can be applied at the level of either the individual's experience or environment. The present authors (see record
1982-31158-001) have identified the following stages of change: contemplation, termination, action, and maintenance. The verbal processes of change—consciousness raising, catharsis, and choosing—are most important during the 1st 2 stages, while behavior therapies (conditional stimuli and contingency control) are needed once a commitment is made. It is suggested that in the transtheoretical model, cognitive restructuring is seen as the result of the individual effectively applying the appropriate processes of change during each of the appropriate stages of change. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Employs the methodology and insight of narrative psychology to try to better understand the psychological processes involved in the transition away from antisocial behavior. The author content-analyzed 20 published autobiographies, written by successfully reintegrated ex-convicts for similarities in theme, plot structure, and character. The goal of this project is to identify a type of subjective self-understanding expressed in narrative that seems to support desistance from crime.
Together, the narratives in this sample reveal a definite pattern, a generic or prototypical story of reform. These common themes and character types as they relate to the different narrative phrases or "chapters" in the life stories: childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and later adulthood are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This paper examines the root of unethical dicisions by identifying the psychological forces that promote self-deception. Self-deception allows one to behave self-interestedly while, at the same time, falsely believing that one's moral principles were upheld. The end result of this internal con game is that the ethical aspects of the decision fade into the background, the moral implications obscured. In this paper we identify four enablers of self-deception, including language euphemisms, the slippery slope of decision-making, errors in perceptual causation, and constraints induced by representations of the self. We argue that current solutions to unethical behaviors in organizations, such as ethics training, do not consider the important role of these enablers and hence will be constrained in their potential, producing only limited effectiveness. Amendments to these solutions, which do consider the powerful role of self-deception in unethical decisions, are offered.
The study of desistance from crime is hampered by definitional, measurement, and theoretical incoherence. A unifying framework can distinguish termination of offending from the process of desistance. Termination is the point when criminal activity stops and desistance is the underlying causal process. A small number of factors are sturdy correlates of desistance (e.g., good marriages, stable work, transformation of identity, and aging). The processes of desistance from crime and other forms of problem behavior appear to be similar. Several theoretical frameworks can be employed to explain the process of desistance, including maturation and aging, developmental, life-course, rational choice, and social learning theories. A life-course perspective provides the most compelling framework, and it can be used to identify institutional sources of desistance and the dynamic social processes inherent in stopping crime. Sociology
As part of a school-based alcohol misuse prevention study, questionnaires were administered to 2,589 fifth and sixth grade students to determine levels of use of alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes, intentions to use these substances, and problems resulting from alcohol misuse. The questionnaire also included 45 items concerning susceptibility to peer pressure, self-esteem, and health locus of control. These 45 items were factor analyzed separately for two groups formed by random assignment. Six factors were identified which were both internally consistent and replicable, and indices were constructed. The indices measuring susceptibility to peer pressure, self-esteem, and internal health locus of control were significantly and negatively correlated with most of the substance use, misuse, and intention items, and an external health locus of control index was not significantly related to most of the substance use, misuse, and intention items. The "Susceptibility to Peer Pressure" index correlated more highly with the adolescent substance use, misuse, and intention items than the self-esteem or the health locus of control indices, and it had the highest alpha coefficient. Implications for the design of school-based substance abuse prevention programs are discussed.
A hypothesized need to form and maintain strong, stable interpersonal relationships is evaluated in light of the empirical literature. The need is for frequent, nonaversive interactions within an ongoing relational bond. Consistent with the belongingness hypothesis, people form social attachments readily under most conditions and resist the dissolution of existing bonds. Belongingness appears to have multiple and strong effects on emotional patterns and on cognitive processes. Lack of attachments is linked to a variety of ill effects on health, adjustment, and well-being. Other evidence, such as that concerning satiation, substitution, and behavioral consequences, is likewise consistent with the hypothesized motivation. Several seeming counterexamples turned out not to disconfirm the hypothesis. Existing evidence supports the hypothesis that the need to belong is a powerful, fundamental, and extremely pervasive motivation.
Most knowledge about crime and criminals derives from cross-sectional analyses that link crime rates in a community with a
community's attributes. The criminal-career approach focuses on individual offenders and considers their crime-committing
patterns as a longitudinal stochastic process. This approach, which invokes parameters characterizing participation rate,
initiation rate, termination rate and the associated career length, and individual offending frequency, offers some important
new insights. For example, annual offending frequency appears to be reasonably constant with age for those offenders who stay
criminally active, termination rates are relatively low for active offenders in their 30s, and offending frequencies seem
to be relatively insensitive to demographic attributes for active offenders. All these observations are opposite to those
that would be derived from cross-sectional analysis.
Although the decline of crime with age is a universal phenomenon, there has been a lot of discussion about the factors explaining this decline. As Hirschi and Gottfredson have stated, age must be viewed as exerting a direct effect on crime (Hirschi/Gottfredson, 1983). According to their invariance hypothesis and its corollaries, the age-crime curve can neither be explained by presently known social and cultural factors nor by certain events in life.
A study was done to determine if low self concept is a common denominator as a causative factor of drug abuse among adolescents. An open ended and forced choice sentence completion was the instrument used to question 37 adolescent members of a drug rehabilitation program. The results showed that 75.5% of the subjects considered low self concept to be one cause of their turning to drugs and 91.9% felt that boredom and curiosity was another. 67.5% put the blame on peer pressure while 64.8% said they were pleasure seeking. It was concluded that boredom, curiosity and low self concept were significant causes of drug abuse in many adolescents. The implications were for preventive programs aimed at keeping adolescents busy and interested in alternative activities and at enhancing selfconcept and building self esteem.
Sociologists have increasingly emphasized "turning points" in explaining behavioral change over the life course. Is work a turning point in the life course of criminal offenders? If criminals are provided with jobs, are they likely to stop committing crimes? Prior research is inconclusive because work effects have been biased by selectivity and obscured by the interaction of age and employment. This study yields more refined estimates by specifying event history models to analyze assignment to, eligibility for, and current participation in a national work experiment for criminal offenders. Age is found to interact with employment to affect the rate of self-reported recidivism: Those aged 27 or older are less likely to report crime and arrest when provided with marginal employment opportunities than when such opportunities are not provided. Among young participants, those in their teens and early twenties, the experimental job treatment had little effect on crime. Work thus appears to be a turning point for older, but not younger, offenders.
This article investigates the discourse individuals use when talking about desisting from criminal offending. I analyze the links between offenders’ accounts of past negative behavior, their construction of their possible “clean” future selves, and the social and structural conditions in which they were raised and continue to be embedded. Applying Scott and Lyman's (1968) framework on accounts and Markus and Nurius's (1986) framework of possible selves to interview data with twenty-eight criminal offenders, I illustrate how excuses for past behavior provide a way for people to distance themselves from their past selves in attempts to preserve or re-create a possible self that is still worthy to be redeemed in the future. This discourse becomes one mechanism that motivates individuals to change their lives—but it can be short-lived. The analysis highlights how limited structural opportunities influence individuals’ lifestyles and behaviors, how individuals approach the desistance process even in the face of structural deprivation, and how they attempt to sustain this desistance process.
This study explores how a group of women recently released from prison as parolees attempt to sustain their exit from deviant careers by constructing replacement selves. To examine this process, I analyze semi-structured interviews with female ex-offenders and show how they draw on work as a hook for change (Giordano et al. 2002) in their unfolding identity work. Contrary to traditional gendered scripts, these women view themselves as active participants in the world of work. Upon release not only do they desire to work to meet financial needs, but they also use employment as an avenue through which they begin to construct pro-social replacement selves. Drawing on longitudinal qualitative data, I point out that as time on the outside passed, many of the women continued to use work as a way to fashion new conventional selves despite their experiences with low-quality working conditions. I also provide evidence, however, that when women experience significant employment instability, they are unable to sustain their hopeful identity project and, instead, reengage their past deviant selves.
This paper introduces interpretative phenomenological analysis (PA) and discusses the particular contribution it can make to health psychology. This is contextualized within current debates, particularly in social psychology, between social cognition and discourse analysis and the significance for health psychology of such debates is considered. The paper outlines the theoretical roots of PA in phenomenology and symbolic interactionism and argues the case for a role for PA within health psychology. Discussion then focuses on one area in the health field, the patient's conception of chronic illness and research in medical sociology from a similar methodological and epistemological orientation to PA is introduced. The paper concludes with an illustration of PA from the author's own work on the patient's perception of renal dialysis.
Although criminologists have long used the offender's own story to shed light on crime and its possible causes, they have not plumbed its potential as an explanatory variable. This article considers the way narrative has been conceptualized in criminology and the way that it might be re-conceptualized, following scholarship in other social sciences and in humanities, as a key instigator of action. The concept of narrative is useful for the projects of contemporary criminology because it: (1) applies to both individuals and aggregates; (2) applies to both direct perpetrators and bystanders; (3) anchors the notion of (sub)culture; (4) circumvents the realism to which other theories of criminal behavior are bound; and (5) can be readily collected by researchers, though not without confronting the problematic that is the socially situated production of discourse.
If the theory advanced by Watson and Morgan (in 'Emotional Reactions and Psychological Experimentation,' American Journal of Psychology, April, 1917, Vol. 28, pp. 163-174) to the effect that in infancy the original emotional reaction patterns are few, consisting so far as observed of fear, rage and love, then there must be some simple method by means of which the range of stimuli which can call out these emotions and their compounds is greatly increased. Otherwise, complexity in adult response could not be accounted for. These authors without adequate experimental evidence advanced the view that this range was increased by means of conditioned reflex factors. It was suggested there that the early home life of the child furnishes a laboratory situation for establishing conditioned emotional responses. The present authors present their experimental findings of conditioned fear responses in a male infant beginning at 11 months of age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The belief that drug addiction is the motor behind much property crime
has been a key part of recent UK drug policy. Review of the literature
shows that the empirical evidence does not support this view. It also
demonstrates that the fundamental weakness of existing research is its
failure to address the question of causality properly, relying mainly on
uni-directional mechanistic ‘cause-and-effect’ models. It is suggested that
the drug–crime link needs to be conceived in the context of the interaction
and inter-relation of a range of factors operating at different levels
and as part of a set of complex processes. The implications for policy are
that a reliance on improving access to treatment is likely to be of limited
effectiveness in reducing drug-related crime and that an emphasis on
tackling social exclusion may be more fruitful. Future research needs to
explore further the notion of causality outlined in this paper. It must also
examine emerging patterns of polydrug use and look at minority ethnic
groups and women.
ABSTRACT We frequently accuse heavy drinkers and drug users of self-deception if they refuse to admit that they are addicted. However, given the ways in which we usually conceptualize it, acknowledging addiction merely involves swapping one form of self-deception for another. We ask addicts to see themselves as in the grip of an irresistible desire, and to accept that addiction is an essentially physiological process. To the extent this is so, we, as much as the addicts, suffer from self-deception, and the responsibility for their state is in part ours. Conversely, since addicts are compelled to accept a self-deceptive image of themselves, they are at least partially excused from blame for their self-deception.
The author explores some theoretical perspectives that, together, might aid development of a heuristic understanding of female desistance from crime: opportunity; identity; scripts; self-efficacy; and resilience. For an opportunity for desistance to be seized, it must not only present itself to the offender, but also be both recognised and valued as such. It is suggested that successful desistance from crime may be rooted in recognition of an opportunity to claim an alternative, desired and socially approved personal identity. Certain common identities that may present themselves as available (for example, mother) may also provide a 'script' by which to enact a conventional, pro-social social role. Accessibility of such a skeleton script enhances confidence in the ability to enact it successfully, thus altering the woman's sense of self-efficacy. Studies of resilience and coping further illuminate the skills and strategies that may be utilised to protect and perpetuate a newly acquired self-identity. The author concludes by drawing some implications for rehabilitation efforts based on such an understanding of female desistance.
This chapter describes interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), which involves self-report data elicitation through interview associated with a sophisticated thematic analysis. The approach is idiographic and invariably linked to non-experimental research designs. The IPA training exercise presented provides details of how to construct an appropriate interview schedule and the steps in recording and then reporting data. The chapter is appropriate for intermediate level courses. © 2004 The British Psychological Society and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Sampson and Laub (1993) provided a major contribution to the study of criminal careers by linking criminal behavior to life-course transitions, such as marriage, employment, and entry into the military. To interpret their findings, these investigators relied exclusively on control theory. In a sharp departure from that position, this study offers evidence that life-course transitions affect criminal behavior by altering relations with delinquent peers. Focusing on marriage, the analysis shows that the transition to marriage is followed by a dramatic decline in time spent with friends as well as reduced exposure to delinquent peers, and that these factors largely explain the association between marital status and delinquent behavior. The findings suggest that changing patterns of peer relations over the life course are essential for understanding criminal life-course trajectories.
This article provides a critical engagement with Shadd Maruna's book Making Good. The author illuminates why Making Good is a truly radical contribution to the study of crime; a book that underlines the important contribution psychology can make to the study of (ex)offenders' lives. However, the author argues that in focusing our attention on the psychosocial, Maruna raises – but does not adequately answer – the question of how to conceptualise the subjectivities of criminological research subjects. The article concludes by arguing that a complex, dynamic understanding of the relationship between the social and psychological is needed to account for the capacity of some offenders to desist from crime despite the overwhelming social forces that mitigate against this kind of change.
This article presents the initial theoretical underpinnings for a fresh prospective study of desistance, focused on 20-year-old recidivists. It is argued that significant crime-free gaps appropriately form part of the subject matter of desistance. An interactive theoretical framework is presented, involving ‘programmed potential’, ‘social context’ (structures, culture, situations) and ‘agency’. It is argued that agency, while rightly attracting increasing interest within criminology, needs to be used with greater precision. Aspects of the social context of the research subjects' lives are summarised, with special reference to their age-transitional status and the relevance of ‘community’ in their lives. Since most criminal careers, even of recidivists, are short, the implications of subjects' movement from conformity to criminality and back to conformity require greater thought among criminologists and criminal justice professionals. However, these broad movements contain significant oscillations, and ‘crime’ is not a unidimensional concept in the lives of the research subjects. Capturing and explaining the complexity of these matters longitudinally is a significant challenge for the research.
Follow-up results are presented for a study in which posttreatment results were reported earlier (Behavior Therapy, 1985, 16, 147–167). Married male alcoholics, who had recently begun individual outpatient alcoholism counseling, were randomly assigned to a no-marital-treatment control group or to 10 weekly sessions of either a behavioral marital therapy (BMT) or an interactional couples therapy group. Couples who received BMT in addition to the husbands' alcoholism counseling had better marital outcomes on both more positive wives' marital adjustment and less time separated than couples in which the husband received individual alcoholism counseling only, although the strength and the consistency of marital relationship findings favoring BMT diminished over time after treatment. In terms of drinking outcomes, the advantage for BMT over control noted during treatment was no longer apparent after treatment. Although BMT and interactional couples group did not differ on drinking or marital adjustment, both types of marital therapy had fewer days separated than controls suggesting that the common effects of both types of marital therapy may be to promote relationship stability during the long and arduous period of recovery from alcoholism. Finally, alcoholics with the most severe marital and drinking problems prior to treatment had the worst outcomes in the two years after treatment. Future studies should give more attention to maintaining gains produced by BMT with a special focus on preventing or minimizing relapses and strengthening sobriety, especially among cases with more severe problems.
Examines the relationship between low self-esteem and a variety of psychological difficulties from the standpoint of the sociometer model of self-esteem. According to this model, the behavioral concomitants of low self-esteem are best viewed as reactions to real, anticipated, or imagined rejection rather than as consequences of low self-esteem per se. Evidence relevant to this model is reviewed as it relates to dysphoric emotions, substance abuse, irresponsible sexual behavior, aggression, membership in deviant groups, and eating disorders. Low self-esteem is viewed as a co-effect of perceived social exclusion. It is suggested that modifying the ways in which clients deal with issues involving interpersonal acceptance and rejection would ameliorate certain emotional and behavioral problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)
This article explores how prison officers manage and perform emotion on a day-to-day basis. Although the performance of emotion is invariably highlighted when things ‘go wrong’ in prison - perhaps particularly during prison disturbances - the emotional life of prisons at an everyday level has received much less attention. Moreover, although the sociology of the prison has acknowledged the impact of prison on the emotional lives of prisoners there has been much less interest in the emotional impact of the prison on its uniformed staff. This article focuses on how prison officers’ emotions are structured and performed on a daily basis. Prisons are emotional places, but like all organizations, they have their own ‘rules’ about the kinds of emotions it is appropriate for prison officers to express (and indeed feel) at work. In consequence, working in prisons demands a performative attitude on the part of staff, an (often significant) engagement in emotion-work and, relatedly, the employment of various emotion-work strategies.
A new treatment for maladaptive approach behavior (“covert sensitization”) is described. The term “covert” is used because neither the undesirable stimulus nor the aversive stimulus is actually presented. These stimuli are presented in imagination only. The word “sensitization” is used because the purpose of the procedure is to build up an avoidance response to the undesirable stimulus. A description and rationale for covert sensitization is presented. Treatment of alcoholism, obesity, homosexuality, and delinquent behavior by covert sensitization is also described.
Clients at two different treatment facilities were asked at assessment how influential each of 10 possible reasons were in their decision to change their alcohol or drug use. Clients at both facilities most often endorsed "weighing the pros and cons of drinking or drug use" and a "warning from spouse." Client's reasons for seeking treatment were also examined in relation to treatment compliance. Three reasons--"weighing the pros and cons," "hitting rock bottom," and experiencing a "major lifestyle change"--were predictive of treatment compliance. Clients who rated any of these reasons as influential were more likely to enter and complete treatment. Although more research is needed, knowledge of clients' reasons for seeking treatment might be useful in treatment matching.
Aversion therapy has been used for many years in the treatment of alcoholism (3). Apomorphine and emetine are the usual drugs used as the unconditioned stimuli for nausea and vomiting, with alcohol as the conditioned stimulus. More recently the same procedure has been used in the treatment of sexual perversions—for example, fetishism (12), transvestism (1, 5) and homosexuality (11, 7).
In this review, I examine the social psychological research on ostracism, social exclusion, and rejection. Being ignored, excluded, and/or rejected signals a threat for which reflexive detection in the form of pain and distress is adaptive for survival. Brief ostracism episodes result in sadness and anger and threaten fundamental needs. Individuals then act to fortify or replenish their thwarted need or needs. Behavioral consequences appear to be split into two general categories: attempts to fortify relational needs (belonging, self-esteem, shared understanding, and trust), which lead generally to prosocial thoughts and behaviors, or attempts to fortify efficacy/existence needs of control and recognition that may be dealt with most efficiently through antisocial thoughts and behaviors. Available research on chronic exposure to ostracism appears to deplete coping resources, resulting in depression and helplessness.
Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild Their Lives
- H Toch
Aspects of causality, culture, and crime”, paper presented at the Fourth International Centre of Sociology, Penal and Penitentiary Research and Studies
- G B Trasler
Juvenile Delinquents Grown Up
- S Gleuk
- E Gleuk
Probing the Links between Drugs and Crime
- B A Gropper
The sociology of emotion as a way of seeing
- A Hochschild