SOME CORRELATES OF SOCIAL INSIGHT IN ADULT INCARCERATED MALES

• NCJ Number: 60357
• Journal: OFFENDERS REHABILITATION Volume: 3 Issue: 3 Dated: (SPRING 1979) Pages: 257-270
• Author(s): D G DEAN
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 14 pages
• Corporate Author: Haworth Press, Inc
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

AN IDENTIFICATION OF SOME OF THE VARIABLES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIAL INSIGHT AMONG ADULT INCARCERATED MALES WAS MADE THROUGH THIS STUDY OF 42 INMATES AT THE WISCONSIN STATE PRISON.

Abstract

THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT INMATES USE A SIMPLISTIC, PRAGMATIC MODE OF ANALYZING SOCIAL SITUATIONS. SOCIAL INSIGHT REFERS TO THE DEGREE TO WHICH PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO PERCEIVE ACCURATELY AND TO APPRECIATE THE CASUAL RELATIONSHIPS OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS. IN ORDER TO DETERMINE WHAT FACTORS ACCOUNT FOR SOCIAL INSIGHT AMONG INMATES, CORRELATIONS WERE ESTABLISHED BETWEEN SOCIAL INSIGHT AND 11 VARIABLES INCLUDING LOCUS OF CONTROL, CAPACITY FOR EMPATHETIC UNDERSTANDING, SELF-CONCEPT, CAPACITY FOR OBJECTIVE OBSERVATION, TIME SPENT IN COUNSELING, AND TIME SPENT IN PRISON. SOCIAL INSIGHT WAS MEASURED BY THE CHAPIN SOCIAL INSIGHT TEST, SELF-CONCEPT WAS MEASURED BY THE TENNESSEE SELF-CONCEPT SCALE, THE LOCUS OF CONTROL WAS MEASURED BY THE ROTTER INTERNAL-EXTERNAL SCALE, AND THE TAYLOR-JOHNSON TEMPERAMENT ANALYSIS SCALE WAS USED TO MEASURE COMPARATIVELY INDEPENDENT PERSONALITY VARIABLES THAT INFLUENCE INTERPERSONAL ADJUSTMENT. THE AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT IN COUNSELING AND IN PRISON WAS MEASURED BY SELF-REPORT FORMS. NINE RELATIONSHIPS WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH SOCIAL INSIGHT. SOCIAL INSIGHT WAS VERY STRONGLY RELATED TO SELF-CONCEPT, AS WAS THE AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT IN PRISON. COUNSELING TIME WAS UNRELATED TO SOCIAL INSIGHT. MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, LOCUS OF CONTROL, SYMPATHY, AND SELF-CRITICISM RELATED TO SOCIAL INSIGHT IN A FASHION COMPLETELY OPPOSITE FROM WHAT ONE WOULD EXPECT TO FIND IN A NORMAL POPULATION. INMATES WERE MORE NERVOUS, SUBJECTIVE, AND INDIFFERENT THAN THE GENERAL POPULATION. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE HOW THE SOCIAL INSIGHT OF PRISONERS DIFFERS FROM THE GENERAL POPULATION. STATISTICAL TABLES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (KCP)