Institutional aggression
Specification: Institutional aggression in the context of prisons: dispositional and situational explanations.
Dispositional Explanation
Institutions are places where many people are often confined in cramped surroundings and as a result can become involved in violence and aggression. The main institutions that psychologists have studied are prisons where violence has been a historic problem. There are two competing theories that seek to explain this aggression. Social Psychologists investigating aggression in prisons have proposed one theory: that the social environment in the prison can cause aggression. This is called the situational explanation. An opposing theory is the dispositional explanation that proposes that the individuals disposition, the traits and characteristics that together create an individual's identity, are the main factors in any aggression displayed by that individual.
The most influential dispositional explanation has been put forward by Irwin and Cressey (1962) in the Importation Model. This model proposes that individuals import their characteristics and traits into the prison, when they enter the prison. Irwin and Cressey (1962) maintain that if an individual comes from a subculture where violence is the norm, then they will continue to be violent in the prison. Criminals often live in a culture of violence, where the norm is to use violence to settle disputes and this norm continues to determine their behaviour both inside and outside of prison. Irwin and Cressey 's (1962) model is useful in that it can explain the higher levels of aggression demonstrated by individuals with certain personal characteristics, such as gender, race and social class. The dispositional explanation proposes that these individuals would be more aggressive in any setting be it prison, work or in education.
Often it is the younger inmates that tend to behave violently, as they are more likely to find it harder to adjust to prison life, and may therefore engage in more conflicts with others, and are more likely to view aggression as an appropriate way of dealing with conflict. The importation model argues that it is not the situational pressures of the prison (or other institution) that causes aggression, but rather the disposition of the individuals within it.
Evaluation
Adams (1981) found that in American prisons, black inmates were more likely to be associated with violent acts in comparison to white inmates. The argument for this is that black prisoners tended to come from poorer backgrounds with higher rates of crime, and so imported their cultural norms into the prison supporting the dispositional explanation of aggression.
Gaes et al. (1988) studied 82,000 prisoners in US prisons and found prisoners with Hispanic origins were more violent than those with a non-Hispanic origin. Also prisoners with Asian origins were less likely to be violent than those who were nonAsian. This research supports the view that culture and consequently ethnicity are factors that can contribute to aggression being imported into the prison institution.
However, DeLisi (2004) studied 813 male inmates in US prisons and found no correlation between violence in prisons and previous gang membership. Therefore, there is conflicting research support for the dispositional explanation. The importation model predicts that violence and aggression is introduced by individuals with a culture of aggression in their lives. It would be expected that gang members would be more likely to display aggression inside prisons, but DeLisi (2004) found no evidence to support this prediction.
Most of the research has been undertaken on male prisoners so very little is known about reasons for female violence in prisons. It would be androcentric to presume the same reasons for male violence can be used to explain female violence. There may be other factors involved that can result in female prison aggression. Therefore, the research can be accused of exhibiting a beta bias. It may be that males import aggression into the prison environment, but there may be differences to the extent that dispositional or situational factors affect each gender
Situational Explanation
Situational explanations disagree that aggression is caused by the individuals, and propose that aggression in prisons is the result of environmental factors. Social Psychologists maintain that when individuals are in crowded conditions this can cause a rise in aggressive behaviour. In addition, by their very nature as a form of punishment, prisons are stressful environments. One situational explanation has been put forward by Sykes (1958) which proposes that aggression results from a number of environmental deprivations.
Deprivation of liberty: Prisoners are deprived of their freedom; this is the main form of punishment when an individual is sent to prison. They have to remain in the prison environment with no freedom at all. Prisoners often have to obtain permission to eat/sleep, shower, etc. (Blomberg & Lucken, 2000).
Deprivation of autonomy: Prisoners have no power and very few choices; this leads to a feeling of almost helplessness among inmates. This can lead to frustration and aggression.
Deprivation of goods: In prison access to things that we take for granted such as smartphones are restricted or denied entirely. This brings about a frustrated sense of failure to most prisoners, leading to aggression (Sykes, 1958).
Deprivation of heterosexual relationships: Men may feel emasculated from the loss of heterosexual relationships; they feel less than a man. In addition, the greater opportunity for homosexual behaviour in prison may lead to anxieties for prisoners.
Deprivation of security: Prisoners may live in fear of aggression from other inmates, which leads to a heightened sense of physical threat. This feeling of perceived continual threat can result in an aggressive response as a form of defence.
Evaluation
Gaes et al. (1985) found that overcrowding in prisons can be the cause of not just ill health and general misconduct but also can result in aggression and violence. Gaes et al. (1985) propose that overcrowding can heighten stress and therefore result in an overreaction to other factors in the institution.
There are practical applications in our understanding that the prison environment can lead to aggression. In 2005, Wilson set up two units in HMP Woodhill where the overcrowding was reduced, music was introduced to reduce noisy conditions and the temperature was carefully controlled. He found that initiating these conditions was a successful way to lower levels of aggression.
Camp & Gaes (2005) undertook a field experiment where they randomly allocated 561 male inmates to two different categories of prisons, low security and high security. The inmates had been matched on criminal history and predisposition to aggression. Camp and Gaes (2005) found that the individuals were just as likely to behave aggressively in the low security prison (33%) as in the high security prison (36%). This demonstrates that aggression in prisons is more likely to be a result of the individuals rather than the situation. Low security prisons should have afforded less stress to the inmates and there should have been a lower level of violence.
McCorkle et al. (1995) investigated aggression in 371 state prisons in the US and found little evidence to support the link between violence and overcrowding. McCorkle points out that stress is experienced by most individuals in a prison environment, but not all individuals resort to aggression. Therefore, the assumption that stress and frustration always leads to aggression is a flawed presumption.
Possible Exam Questions
Briefly explain one limitation of the dispositional explanation for institutional aggression. (2 marks)
Outline one piece of research into institutional aggression in prisons. (4 marks)
Outline and evaluate the dispositional explanation of institutional aggression in the context of prisons. (16marks)
Discuss explanations of institutional aggression. (16 marks)
Outline one piece of research into situational explanations of aggression. (4 marks)
Outline one strength and one limitation of research into institutional aggression. (4 marks)
Henry has been sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment for selling cannabis he has been growing in his attic. When he arrived at prison he felt very scared and alone. As he walked to his cell and the door was locked behind him he heard a fight outside of his door as a prisoner attacked a guard and other prisoners joined in. Using your knowledge of the causes of institutional aggression discuss why aggression may be a feature of Henry's stay in prison. (12 marks)
Outline and evaluate explanations of aggression in prisons. (16 marks)