NCJ Number
139428
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 18 Issue: 1/2 Dated: (1992) Pages: 81-89
Date Published
1992
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Temporal, interpersonal, and ecological contexts of anger experiences were investigated in 10 hospitalized men with histories of violent behavior using the Experience Sampling Method.
Abstract
Subjects were patients at a maximum security forensic institute and had either been found guilty of committing a violent crime or not guilty by reason of insanity. Further, each patient had been repeatedly assaultive during the 10- month period prior to the study. Patient diagnoses included schizophrenia, organic personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder. They ranged in age from 22 to 38 years. After consent was obtained, the men were given personality, neuropsychological, and intelligence tests and were instructed in the Experience Sampling Questionnaire Booklet. Subjects wore electronic devices that signaled 7 times daily during a 7-day period and then answered written questions about contextual and affective variables. Results revealed that severity of anger was influenced by type of activity in which the subject was engaged and by the emotional valence of preceding events. Severity of anger was not influenced by time of day or type of interpersonal contact. Treatment activities, such as psychotherapy, group activity, and occupational therapy, increased the frequency of angry experiences, but decreased their severity. This suggested that the treatment of aggressive individuals entails mild anger arousal, but presumably in a healthier context and with the purpose of teaching anger management skills. The authors conclude that the Experience Sampling Method is a useful tool for assessing anger and its role in violent crime. 17 references and 3 tables