Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2025
First exams 2027
Anger Management (AQA A Level Psychology): Revision Note
Exam code: 7182
The use of anger management to change behaviour
Anger management is a treatment programme used in prisons (and other therapeutic settings such as group or individual counselling) to enable offenders to control and manage their hostile/violent/antisocial responses and thereby reduce the likelihood of reoffending
Anger management aims to change the way offenders respond to situations that are likely to trigger anger for each individual
According to Novaco (1970), the physiological effects of anger surface first and are then followed by the psychological effects
e.g. a racing heart, increased blood pressure, and shallow breathing (physiological effects) may lead to feelings of fury, hostility and the desire to control the situation (psychological effects) via the anger response
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is particularly effective in tackling anger as it harnesses and retrains thought patterns and behaviour as the client progresses through stages; this helps them to identify the emotional, cognitive and behavioural patterns that are destructive
Research into the effectiveness of anger management will generally take place in a prison or secure facility and will use a range of self-report methods, (e.g., questionnaire, interview) combined with reports from prison staff as to the behaviour of the offenders on the programme (possibly via use of a behaviour checklist)
Offenders on an anger management programme may be asked to keep a diary or journal of their progress, which can work as an additional source of motivation for them
The three stages of anger management | |
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Stage in anger management | Description |
Cognitive preparation |
|
Skills acquisition |
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Application practice |
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Examiner Tips and Tricks
When writing an AO3 response on anger management, include an evaluation of self-report methods in prison to give your answer context. For instance, prisoners may show social desirability bias differently, possibly over-reporting aggression to seem tough, or lacking sincerity if they participate in order to escape cell time, which can affect the validity of their responses.
Research which investigates anger management
Ireland (2004) found a 92% improvement in the behaviour of offenders after they had engaged with anger management, compared to those who had not
Keen et al. (2000) assessed the progress of young offenders taking part in the National Anger Management Package (eight two-hour sessions of anger management over a series of weeks)
They found that the benefits of taking the course were that the participants became more self-aware and able to control their anger
Evaluation of anger management
Strengths
Research shows consistently strong support for the advantages of anger management programmes in prison
Anger management appears to be more effective than other forms of behaviour modification in that it addresses cognition, behaviour and environment in a multidisciplinary approach to changing behaviour
Limitations
There is limited evidence as to the long-term effectiveness of anger management programmes
Role-play with a therapist lacks mundane realism, as it cannot hope to replicate real-life anger-inducing situations (e.g., a drunken altercation on a Saturday night)
Not all crimes have anger at the heart of them, e.g. drug-dealing, burglary, fraud, so anger management programmes would be invalid when addressing the motivations behind such crimes
Issues & Debates
Anger management is based on the idea that offenders can learn to control their behaviour, suggesting a belief in free will
This aligns with our legal system, which holds individuals accountable for their actions and assumes they can choose how to behave
This contrasts with deterministic views (e.g., biological explanations), which argue that aggression is beyond an individual's control
Worked Example
Here is an example of an A02 question you might be asked on this topic.
AO2: You need to apply your knowledge and understanding, usually referring to the ‘stem’ in order to do so
The table below shows results from a prison study comparing inmates who completed a 3-month anger management programme (Group A) with a control group who received no intervention (Group B).
Group A | Number of anger-related acts | Group B | Number of anger-related acts |
1 | 4 | 1 | 11 |
2 | 9 | 2 | 12 |
3 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
4 | 5 | 4 | 10 |
5 | 8 | 5 | 27 |
6 | 11 | 6 | 15 |
7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
Mean |
| Mean |
|
Q. Calculate the mean for both Group A and Group B.
[2 marks]
Model answer:
Step 1: Add up the number of age-related acts for Group A and Group B
Group A: 4+9+10+5+8+11+3 = 50
Group B: 11+12+23+10+27+15+17 = 115
Step 2: Divide each total by the number of inmates in each group
Group A: 50 ÷ 7 = 7.14
Group B: 115 ÷ 7 = 16.43
The mean for Group A is 7.14 [1 mark]
The mean for Group B is 16.43 [1 mark]
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