NCJ Number
18936
Date Published
1968
Length
165 pages
Annotation
RESULTS OF AN EXPERIMENT CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE IF HUMAN RELATIONS TRAINING TECHNIQUES COULD BE USED TO CIRCUMVENT THE RESISTANCE OF DELINQUENTS TO THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT.
Abstract
THE EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT CONSISTED OF A ONE-WEEK, INSTRUMENTED, RESIDENTIAL HUMAN RELATIONS TRAINING LABORATORY, SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED FOR USE WITH CONFINED MALE DELINQUENTS. THE EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS WERE COMPARED WITH PAIRED CONTROL SUBJECTS WHO SPENT AN AMOUNT OF TIME EQUIVALENT TO THE LABORATORY EXPERIENCE IN A MORE CONVENTIONAL FORM OF GROUP COUNSELING. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT 1) THE EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT WOULD RESULT IN A GREATER DECREASE IN ANTISOCIAL INTERPRETATIONS TO SOCIAL SITUATIONS, 2) THE EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT WILL RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS WITH INSTITUTION PERSONNEL, 3) THAT ATTITUDES RELATED TO ACCESSIBILITY TO GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY WOULD IMPROVE, AND 4) THAT HUMAN RELATIONS TRAINING WILL RESULT IN MORE SATISFACTORY PARTICIPATION IN CONVENTIONAL GROUP COUNSELING. ONLY HYPOTHESIS 1 WAS SUPPORTED BY THE RESULTS OF THE ANALYSES. THESE RESULTS APPEARED TO BE RELATED TO AN INCREASE IN GUARDEDNESS FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS AFTER THE EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT. SELECTED LABORATORY SUBGROUP SESSIONS RECEIVED HIGHER RATINGS THAN THE PRETREATMENT AND POST TREATMENT COUNSELING SESSIONS FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL SUBGROUPS, SUGGESTING THAT THE EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT WAS EFFECTIVE WITHIN THE IMMEDIATE SETTING OF THE LABORATORY. INFORMAL OBSERVATIONS INDICATED THAT MANY SUBJECTS BECAME INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT OF SETTING UP A COTTAGE GOVERNMENT AND ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE LABORATORY STAFF. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH AND THE PRACTICAL USE OF HUMAN RELATIONS TRAINING WITH DELINQUENTS STRESSED THE CAREFUL PROGRAMMING OF CONCRETE AND SOCIAL REINFORCEMENTS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)