FRUSTRATION TOLERANCE, AGGRESSION AND INTERVENTION METHODS FOR A POPULATION OF NON-INSTITUTIONALIZED OFFENDERS

• NCJ Number: 53874
• Author(s): B HECKER
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 102 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND - DOCTORAL DISSERTATION

Annotation

METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS ARE REPORTED FROM A STUDY DESIGNED TO EXAMINE THREE TREATMENT METHODS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON FRUSTRATION TOLERANCE AND AGGRESSION FOR A POPULATION OF NONINSTITUTIONAL OFFENDERS.

Abstract

IT IS NOTED THAT ALTHOUGH GROUP COUNSELING PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN RESEARCHED EXTENSIVELY FOR INSTITUTIONALIZED OFFENDER POPULATIONS, LITERATURE CONCERNING GROUP COUNSELING WITH NONINSTITUTIONALIZED OFFENDERS IS SPARSE. IN ADDITION, IT IS BELIEVED MUCH CONFUSION EXISTS IN THE LITERATURE WITH REGARD TO FRUSTRATION TOLERANCE AND THE ACQUISITION AND MODIFICATION OF AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR. THIS STUDY IS AN EFFORT TO FILL THESE IDENTIFIED RESEARCH GAPS. THIRTY-NINE CLIENTS UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE TREATMENT GROUPS: (1) PSYCHODRAMA AND GROUP COUNSELING; (2) FILMS, AUDIOVISUAL AND GROUP DISCUSSION; AND (3) NORMAL PROBATION AND/OR PAROLE SUPERVISION AS OUTLINED BY THE COURTS. THE ROSENZWEIG PICTURE-FRUSTRATION STUDY AND THE BEREA COLLEGE FORM BOARD WERE USED AS PRETEST AND POSTTEST MEASURES FOR SUBJECTS IN THE THREE TREATMENT GROUPS. A BEHAVIORAL RATING SCALE CONSISTING OF 21 IDENTIFIABLE AND/OR DEFINABLE PHYSICAL AND VERBAL BEHAVIORS WAS DEVELOPED TO BE USED WITH BEREA COLLEGE FORM BOARD. COMPUTATION OF TWO PEARSON PRODUCT-MOMENT CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS RESULTED IN .71 FOR THE PRETEST AND .83 FOR THE POSTTEST WHEN COMPARISONS WERE MADE BETWEEN JUDGES' RATINGS ON THE BEHAVIORAL RATING SCALE OF SUBJECTS' AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS. FROM AN ANALYSIS OF RESULTS, IT IS CONCLUDED THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN MEAN SCORES BETWEEN THE THREE TREATMENT GROUPS IN THE ACQUISITION OF MEASURED BEHAVIORS. SOME LIMITATIONS IN THE METHODOLOGY OF THE TREATMENTS ARE NOTED, AND IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT IN FUTURE RESEARCH IN THIS AREA THE SAME THERAPIST BE USED IN ALL TREATMENT GROUPS IN ORDER TO CONTROL FOR THERAPIST VARIABLES. THE APPENDIXES CONTAIN STUDY DATA, A SAMPLE OF THE RATING SCALE FOR JUDGING CLIENT'S BEHAVIOR, AND PROBATION OFFICER PROCESS REPORTS ON THE TWO TREATMENT GROUPS OTHER THAN REGULAR PAROLE AND PROBATION. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS PROVIDED. (RCB)