Mental Health Issues and Incarcerations

by Tina Handrick

Introduction

There are a number of men and women in our prison systems today that are suffering from some form of severe mental illnesses and are not getting the proper treatment that they need to get 

Prison Cell (Photo credit: danielkoehlersfotos)

to the point where they can function as a normal citizen. It is even safe to say that our prison systems are now the new considered as the new mental health facilities, even though they are not designed or equipped to handle mentally ill inmates. The prisons systems are hard on the mentally challenged because of the overcrowding, violence, lack of privacy, lack of meaningful activities, isolation from family and friends, the uncertainty about life after prison, and the inadequate health services, and from untrained correctional officers that do not know how to deal with some of these issues. The impact of these issues rises as well when prisoners whose thinking and emotional responses are impaired by schizophrenia, bipolar disease, major depression, conduct disorder, antisocial disorder and other serious mental illnesses. As with all prisoners, mentally ill inmates have poor mental health services and that usually leaves them with medications that they either don’t need or with medication that does not work correctly (Fellner, nd).

Prison 2 (Photo credit: planetschwa)

There are is a dangerous atmosphere at any correctional facility because of the security measured that need to be in place to keep everyone safe and the mental health considerations. There are rules and regulations that need to be followed, and codes of conduct in prisons that reflects staff concerns about security, safety, power, and control. Trying to coordinate all of those needs of the mentally ill with those rules and goals is nearly impossible (Fellner, nd).  By trying different ways to deal with mentally ill inmates while in correctional setting can make it easier to deal with them, but it is crucial to properly train any personnel that are going to have any daily connection with them as well. That can make it a safer and a less stressful environment if a person knows what they are dealing with.

Mental Health

There is never a good time to be a prisoner in the United States, but incarceration is not meant to be fun and games. But a combination of strict sentencing guidelines, budget shortfalls and a punitive philosophy of corrections has made today's prisons much more unpleasant and much less likely to rehabilitate their inhabitants than in the past, many researchers say. So what is the role for psychologists? First and foremost, they are providing a mental health services to an ever expanding prison population, which has rates of mental illness at least three times the national average (Etienne, 2003). “More broadly, they are contributing a growing body of scientific evidence to political and philosophical discussions about the purpose of imprisonment,” says Craig Haney, PhD, a 

English: Institute of Mental Health building in Belgrade. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

psychologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "Psychology as a discipline now has a tremendous amount of information about the origins of criminal behavior," says Haney. "I think that it is important for psychologists to bring that information to bear in the debate on what kind of crime control policies we, as a society, should follow."

Until the mid-1970s, rehabilitation was a key part of U.S. prison policy. Prisoners were encouraged to develop occupational skills and to resolve psychological problems such as substance abuse or aggression that might interfere with their reintegration into society. Indeed, many inmates received court sentences that mandated treatment for such problems. Since then, however, rehabilitation has taken a back seat to a "get tough on crime" approach that sees punishment as prison's main function, says Haney. The approach has created explosive growth in the prison population, while having at most a modest effect on crime rates (Etienne, 2003).

As a result of this the United States now has more than 2 million people in prisons or jails which is the equivalent of one in every 142 U.S. residents, and another four to five million people on probation or parole. There is a higher percentage of the population is involved in the criminal justice system in the United States than in any other developed country. Many of these inmates have serious mental illnesses. Starting in the late 1950s and 1960s, new psychotropic drugs and the community health movement dramatically reduced the number of people in state mental hospitals. But in the 1980s, many of the mentally ill who had left mental institutions in the previous two decades began entering the criminal justice system (Etienne, 2003).

English: The campaign 'The Incarceration of John' was created to highlight the inadequate and damaging response of chemicals and incarceration that John Hunt got to his emotional distress and psychosocial problems. It highlights the gap in the services and the human rights violations that people diagnosed with a mental health disorder experience. It challenges the concept of mental health disorder and psychiatric power. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of people in prison are mentally ill, according to U.S. Department of Justice estimates, and that is only an estimate that number is probably far from accurate. "Prisons have really become, in many ways, the de facto mental health hospitals," says former prison psychologist Thomas Fagan, PhD. "But prisons weren't built to deal with mentally ill people; they were built to deal with criminals doing time."

To help shift the focus from punishment to rehabilitation, psychologists are doing more research on the causes of crime and the psychological effects of incarceration. In the 1970s, when major changes were being made to the U.S. prison system, psychologists had little hard data to contribute, but in the past 25 years, says Haney, they have generated a massive literature documenting the importance of child abuse, poverty, early exposure to substance abuse and other risk factors for criminal behavior. The findings suggest that individual-centered approaches to crime prevention need to be complemented by community-based approaches (Etienne, 2003).

Researchers have also found that the pessimistic "nothing works" attitude toward rehabilitation that helped justify punitive prison policies in the 1970s was overstated. When properly implemented, work programs, education and psychotherapy can ease a prisoners' transitions to the free world, says Haney.  Finally, researchers have demonstrated the power of the prison environment to shape behavior, often is the detriment of both prisoners and prison workers (Etienne, 2003).  It’s really hard to get your thought process to change if you have others around you encouraging you to back against the system or commit some kind of infraction.  The Stanford Prison Experiment, which Haney co-authored in 1973 with Stanford University psychologist and APA Past-president Philip

English: Huntsville Unit, Huntsville, TX Español: Unidad de Huntsville, Huntsville, TX (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 G. Zimbardo, PhD, is one example. It showed that psychologically healthy individuals could become sadistic or depressed when placed in a prison-like environment.

More recently, Haney has been studying the so-called "supermax" prisons high-security units in which prisoners spend as many as 23 hours per day in solitary confinement for years at a time. Haney's research has shown that many prisoners in supermax units experience extremely high levels of anxiety and other negative emotions. When released often without any "decompression" period in lower-security facilities they have few of the social or occupational skills necessary to succeed in the outside world. Nonetheless, supermax facilities have become increasingly common over the past five to ten years. "This is what prison systems do under emergency circumstances they move to punitive social control mechanisms," explains Haney. "[But] it's a very short-term solution, and one that may do more long-term damage both to the system and to the individuals than it solves."

If these individuals are having any kind of mental issues and are being kept locked up for 23 hours a day then you can imagine that once they get released they really feel as if they are being freed and can go crazy, because for one they really never received treatment, they were just locked up and their issues we not dealt with.

Logo of the United States National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When there are so many different mental disorders in the prison system, it is really important at this day and age to find out what exactly they are and how best to treat it, if it is by medication, counseling or both. Robert Hare (1993), one of the world’s leading experts on psychopathy, describes psychopaths as “social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations, and empty wallets. Completely lacking in conscience and empathy, they selfishly take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret”.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that people most people often associate with a “crazy behavior” especially since it frequently manifests itself in highly bizarre actions. It is still a mental disorder that continues to be extremely complex and poorly understood (Andreasen & Carpenter, 1993; Sitnikova, Goff, & Kuperberg, 2009). Schizophrenia generally begins early in life, and often leads to social and economic impairment, and leaves traces on its victims for the rest of their lives (Andreasen & Carpenter, 1993). Behavioral manifestations of schizophrenia are varied, but there are some common characteristics (Bartol & Bartol, 2011).

The disorders described in this section have a variety of names and diagnostic labels, su

English: Chicago-Read Mental Health Center sign (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ch as affective disorders, mood disorders, and bipolar depressive disorders. The most common label is major depressive disorder. The symptoms include an extremely depressed state that lasts for at least two weeks and is accompanied by a generalized slowing down of mental and physical activity, gloom, despair, feelings of worthlessness, and perhaps frequent thoughts of suicide. Everyone has up and down periods, but these mood changes are extreme and the depression is deep and usually long-lasting. Persons with major depression describe themselves as down, discouraged, and hopeless. A less common form of depression is bipolar depression in which there are both periods of depression and periods of excessive euphoria called mania (Bartol & Bartol, 2011).

The DSM-III and the DSM-III-R criteria for the antisocial personality disorder (APD) have been among the most frequently criticized because of their vagueness and lack of empirical anchoring (Widiger et al., 1991). The DSM-IV and DSM-IV-TR, however, have tried to address these problems by incorporating into the criteria more empirically based attributes. As mentioned in Chapter 6, many of the new criteria closely follow the Robert Hare definition of the criminal psychopath. The essential feature of a person with an APD is a history of continuous behavior in which the rights of others are violated. The individual must be at least 18 years of age and must have a history of some symptoms of conduct disorder before age 15. Recall that a diagnosis of conduct disorder is reserved for children and adolescents. Before a person can be diagnosed with APD, a pervasive pattern of disregard for and the violation of the rights of others must be indicated by at least three of the following behavioral patterns:

1. Failure to conform to social norms or the criminal law, as reflected by frequent performance of acts that are grounds for arrests

2. Irritability and unusual aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults

3. Consistent irresponsibility, as reflected in a poor work history or failure to honor financial obligations

4. Impulsivity or a failure to plan ahead (characteristic at all ages)

5. Deceitfulness, as reflected in frequent lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure

6. Reckless disregard for the safety of others or self

7. Lack of remorse or guilt for wrongdoings, as indicated by indifference to or rationalization of having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another Additional symptoms, as outlined in the DSM-IV, include stealing, fighting, truancy, and resisting authority—typical childhood symptoms. Antisocial personalities lack empathy and tend to be callous, cynical, and contemptuous of the feelings, rights, and sufferings of others.

Furthermore, they frequently exhibit precocious and aggressive sexual behavior, excessive drinking, and the use of illicit drugs. There is a markedly impaired capacity to maintain lasting, close, warm, and responsible relationships with family, friends, or sexual partners (Bartol & Bartol, 2011).

Conclusion

Prison doors (Photo credit: rytc)

More and more research is proving that behavior is learned from their parents and their environments and that as long as they are allowed to keep up with their present behaviors then they are more than likely to be in the prison systems when they are adults. Yes there are real disorders out there that some of these children do have and with the right combination of treatment hopefully they can lead productive lives, but our biggest issues in the United States are that kids are having kids, and they have no idea how to be a parent and they usually allow their children to do whatever they want because they are usually too busy out doing their own thing.  Parents need to become more involved in their children’s lives so that if they do see that their children are showing any signs of any mental disorders they can get them the help that they need before their children get involved with the criminal activity.

References:

Fellner, J. (N.d). A corrections Quandary: Mental illness and prison rules. Retrieved from Harvard University: http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/crcl/vol41_2/fellner.pdf

Bartol, C. & Bartol, A. (2011). Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Chapter 5 Human Aggression and Violence: http://docsharing.next.ecollege.com/(NEXT(b5b0756b9b))/Main/CourseMode/DocSharing/ListCategoriesAndFilesView.ed#

Chapter 8 Crime and Mental Disorders: http://docsharing.next.ecollege.com/(NEXT(b5b0756b9b))/Main/CourseMode/DocSharing/ListCategoriesAndFilesView.ed#

Benson, E. (2003, July). Rehabilitate or punish? Retrieved from American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug03/rehab.aspx

Related articles

• Mental illness stereotype
• State to establish dangerous weapon offender registry
• Dan Morain: Mental health care issues in California prisons are rooted in the past
• Prison Or Treatment For the Mentally ill
• "Inmates With Mental Health Issues On Rise"
• Mental Health Forum Provides Online Resource for Families
• Why Addressing Mental Health Issues Means Reforming The U.S. Prison System
• Caldwell: The tragic killing of Tom Clements, a quiet crusader
• Federal judge accuses state of ethical lapses in prison case
• Trapped Lives: Chilling Photos Of Mentally Ill Prisoners

Read More

Effectiveness Auto Insurance policy Needn't Charge the Earth - Finance

Several men and women get a higher conclusion vehicle as a standing symbol or to feel like they are racing all around the track when they push. All of us has their individual cause for possessing a one particular of these vehicles, but one particular matter is true for all these individuals - they all want to guard their investment. A beneficial insurance coverage policy is the very best way to preserve your automobile guarded.Paying for Insurance planYou currently know that insuring a significant performance car is likely to cost you much more than insurance coverage for a extra conventional make and product. The actuality is that these kinds of vehicles charge more so it is only logical that they will be a minor more expensive to insure. Significant overall performance cars and trucks are meant to be driven fast. This fact on your own is going to create some price to vehicle insurance policy rates. Another aspect that can raise motor vehicle insurance policies costs for large overall performance automobiles is the fact that they may well be taken to distinctive events or automobile shows. Quite a few proprietors also modify their functionality autos, which can include acquiring rid of some security characteristics. All of these considerations make insuring a large overall performance car or truck a far more costly endeavor.Even though vehicle insurance for functionality versions is much more expensive than normal insurance coverage, you can still discover reputable, low-cost insurance for these cars and trucks. There are some details you want to take into account previous to you acquire the initially inexpensive insurance policies policy you discover. You want to preserve your investment protected, so be guaranteed that you do your homework.Here are a number of suggestions to aid you preserve some funds when you insure your great effectiveness car:Feel About SafetyFinding alarms installed along with security functions and pace manage attrib utes are terrific ways to just take in purchase to get less expensive insurance. Insurance businesses reward prospects who fork out awareness to security. When you take these varieties of steps in generating your efficiency automobile additional secure and protected, you can get less costly insurance policy prices.Hold the Auto GuardedYou want to retain your car or truck seeking excellent and secure from hurt. Retaining your significant performance vehicle in a garage and under cover will aid to keep the automobile wanting excellent. These methods will also give you a assisting hand in car or truck insurance plan price reductions.Limit the Selection of DriversYour significant efficiency automobile is your little one. You never want to have a lot of individuals taking it out for a spin. If you preserve the quantity of drivers quite confined, you can get a significantly more cost-effective auto insurance policy rate.If you shop about and evaluate policies, it is feasible to ge t a beneficial motor vehicle insurance policies policy that is not as well high priced.If you generate a high performance automobile you are going to will need significant functionality vehicle insurance. This is an actual class and it would make sense to look into this sort of insurance plan before you really buy a great efficiency car or truck. Insurance plan is certainly heading to be additional pricey for this category of motor vehicle.

iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software

Read More

Psychological Disorders and Treatments

by Tabetha Cooper

Part 1:

Investigating the Relationship between Alcohol and Violence

Asch conformity experiment (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have been assigned to do an investigative study to find the relationship between alcohol and violence.  Out of all of the methods I have studied that are used to observe human behavior, for this particular study I believe I would select both the naturalistic method and the experimental method.  I would use the naturalistic method (observing people in their natural environments without their knowledge) in order to find out what kinds of alcoholic beverages as well as the amount estimated that needed to be consumed to become violent.  I would sit in bars throughout the course of a few weeks.  I would find which nights were more likely to have violence erupt, what drinks were consumed, and the average amount of drinks it takes to get to the point of violence.

 I would then conduct an experiment using the experimental method using the data I had collected.  I would set up two experiments running simultaneously.  In both experiments I would have a control group which would consist of participants that were served nonalcoholic beverages, a second group that would be served lighter drinks such a beer and wine, and a third group that would be served harder drinks such as bourbon and vodka.  As I stated earlier the exact drinks that I would serve would depend on the drinks that were consumed when the most violent episodes resulted during my naturalistic observation.  Both experiments I would run would be set in a bar type setting where people would mingle, listen to music, and dance.  The difference in the two experiments would be a provocation.  In the second experiment (for my own curiosity), I would make the environment more hostile.  The server would be rude, the music would be more aggressive, and I would have a person in each of the groups starting little arguments.

I believe that by using these two methods simultaneously with the additional hostile environment experiment that my results would be fairly accurate.  I would have the data collected during the natural observation which would give me detailed criteria to use in order to get maximum results in my experiments.  I would also be studying whether an aggressive environment contributes more to violence when consuming alcohol instead of just the effects of alcohol on violence in itself.  I would have to be aware of the dangers of extreme violence erupting and I would have to inform my participants of this as well.  I would have to be sure that all of my participants were over the age of twenty one with no health problem and not substance abusers to minimize the risks of something going seriously wrong.  I would have to make sure that my pool of subjects consisted of alcoholics, those who drank on occasion, those with violent pasts, those with no blemishes on their record, and a few people from each cultural background.  This would ensure that I have collected a random sample that would accurately represent the general population.

Even very young children perform rudimentary experiments in order to learn about the world. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Upon the start of the actual experiment I would need to get have each participant sign an informed consent that states that they have been informed of all the risks that may be involved in my study.  I would have to be sure that each participant is entering the study of their own free will and not doing so because one of my researchers or a friend that wanted to join the study didn’t coerce them to participate.  I would have to put precautions, such as bodyguards, into each of my created environments to make sure the risk of someone getting hurt was minimal.  Once all the data from the experiments has been collected and analyzed I would then sit each participant down for a debriefing, to let them know all the details of the experiment.

Part 2:

Negative and Positive Reinforcement

            Let’s discuss negative and positive reinforcement for a moment.  According to Schacter, Gilbert, and Wegner (2009), a reinforcer is any stimulus or event that functions to increase the likelihood of the behavior that led to it.  So based on this definition, negative reinforcement is where something that is wanted is taken away so that the likelihood of a particular behavior will increase, in order to get the wanted thing back.  A positive reinforcement is just the opposite; it is where something wanted is given to a person to ensure that a desired behavior will reoccur, in hopes of receiving more of the wanted thing.

            I will give insight on this with using examples from my own life.  A few years ago, I had been in a car accident where I did not have car insurance.  State law says that any car on the road must have a valid insurance policy.  Upon my first visit to court over this incident I was informed that I may lose my driver’s license.  Fortunately for me, I had a spotless record and other means of punishment was given, but taking my driver’s license would be an example of negative reinforcement.  I need my driver’s license and cherish my possession of it.  The state wants everyone to carry a car insurance policy for precaution of such an event as my car accident.  The state taking away my driver’s license would have been perfect negative reinforcement.  They would have taken away something that I wanted in an attempt to make sure that once I got my license back I would from that point on always carry car insurance so that I didn’t risk losing it again.  Even though I never did actually lose my driver’s license, it did teach me a valuable lesson.  My license mean too much to me to lose over something as stupid as the lack of car insurance, since that day I never get behind the wheel of a car unless I know for a fact that that car has an active insurance policy.

            My mother’s method of ensuring that I did my chores is a perfect example of positive reinforcement.  My mother always worked full time and was away many hours throughout the week.  She couldn’t keep up with all the housework on her own.  She would give me an extended weekend curfew if I did all of my chores in a timely manner throughout the week.  Therefore, she gave me something that I wanted, more time with my friends, in exchange for me doing what she wanted, keeping the house clean.  In the process of her having me to do what needed to be done, I learned that even though I don’t get extra time with my friends for keeping the house clean that if I just keep the house clean it does free up time later to do things that I want to do.

Part 3:

My Thinking about Psychology

I have had an internal debate over and over trying to figure out which theory of psychological thought fits best with my own thinking.  The way I personally think about psychology pulls bits and pieces from about every form of psychological thought that is a part of and has ever been introduce to the science.  I have had a hard time picking just one or two thoughts that have the most influence on me. Upon careful consideration I have selected Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytical theory as the psychological thought that fits me the most. Although my thinking of psychology goes beyond and may differ slightly from this theory, I think this is the best theory to overall express my thinking of psychology.

The psychoanalytical theory is an approach that attempts to understand human behavior. Freud thought that feelings, thoughts, and behaviors where shaped by a person's subconscious mental process. In his opinion, if you could reveal the forgotten happenings of early life you could better determine why a person thinks, feels, and acts the way they do in the present (Schacter, Gilbert, and Wegner (2009) pg. 15).  My attachment to the psychoanalytical theory was strengthened when I learned about Freud’s psychosexual stages and how they develop personality.  I happen to agree his thinking.  As defined by Schacter, Gilbert, and Wegner (2009), psychosexual stages are “distinct early life stages through which personality is formed as children experience sexual pleasures from specific body areas and caregivers redirect or interfere with those pleasures.”

The stages are oral, anal, phallic, and genital.  The oral stage takes place during a child’s first year and a half of life. During this stage they experience the pleasures of mouth such as feeding and sucking.  This stage influences a person’s talkativeness, dependence, addictive, and needy parts of personality.  The anal stage takes place between a child’s second and third year and is when they experience the pleasures of the lower body through toilet training.  This stage affects the orderly, controlling, disorganization, and sloppy parts of a person’s personality.  The phallic stage takes place between a child’s third and fifth year and is when a child starts to experience the pleasures associated with their penis or vagina, depending on the sex of the child.  Our textbook states that this is when a child starts to experience the pleasure of masturbation, although I only partially agree with this.  I think that this is when they child starts to realize that touching themselves in those areas can feel good but I don’t believe it is much has much to do with masturbation but more to do with discovering their own sexuality.  This stage influences the flirtatious, vainness, jealousy, and competitive aspects of a person’s personality.  The next stage is the latency stage which takes place between ages five and thirteen, where child’s pleasure discovery is at a standstill and they develop their intellectual, athletic, creative, and interpersonal skills.  The last stage is the genital stage that takes place in adulthood and when a person develops the personality traits that makes them successful with work, in their love lives, and in relationships in general.  Since I personally think that a person becomes who they are through their past experiences, whether or not they consciously remember them, this is the theory that holds the strongest bases for psychology in my opinion.

Part 4:

Psychological Disorders and Treatments

           

As a counselor working with my first client, I feel that he may have a severe anxiety disorder.  The first thing I will have to do is determine what symptoms he presents.  Based on the information that was gathered when his appointment was made, my initial thought is that I may be looking for symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, also known as OCD.  This is a disorder that plagues a person with intrusive, repetitive thoughts and ritualistic behaviors that are designed to keep a person mind off of those thoughts and it tremendously interferes with a person’s ability to function in their day to day activities.

            According to the DSM-IV-TR fourth edition (2000), the symptoms I should be looking for include obsessions or compulsions that are time consuming and cause significant impairment to the patients day to day functioning, the patient has recognized that the obsessions are unreasonable, the patient is not a substance abuser, and the patient doesn’t have a medical condition that could be the reason for the compulsions.  I want to find out what the obsession and/or compulsions are.  For example is the patient concerned with contamination, have repeated doubts, have needs for things in a certain order, have aggressive impulses, or compulsively thinks about sex or sex related things.  I want to be sure that these thoughts are not just simply a result of real problems and are just in the patient’s head. 

            If I determine that my patient does present with enough symptoms of OCD then I would first want to refer them to a physician to be put on a serotonin increasing drug, in order to help to reduce the patient’s obsessions, thus controlling their compulsions.  I would then schedule a series of visits with me where we would try to figure out the basis of the obsessions through psychodynamic psychotherapies.  After the patient’s specific obsessions and compulsions have been established, through psychotherapy and exposure therapy, I am going to have them face their problems.  For example if my patient can’t leave the restroom without washing their hands three times I am going to encourage them to use the restroom and I am going to only allow them to wash their hands once before returning to my office.  After my patient has some control over their obsessions and compulsions I will use cognitive therapy in order to get them to realize that just because they feel they have to complete the compulsion doesn’t mean that their thinking is right.  Using cognitive restructuring I want to help my patient be able to step back and ask themselves if they have to really fulfill their compulsion or worry about their obsession or if this just a waste of time.  My end goal would be to have my patient to be aware of their obsession and/or compulsion, be able to stand back and realize that it is irrational, and be able to get their mind on something constructive, such as cooking something or going grocery shopping instead of giving in to the obsession or compulsion.

References

Psychology by Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner (2009) Chapter 1

Psychology by Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner (2009) Chapter 2

Psychology by Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner (2009) Chapter 6

Psychology by Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner (2009) Chapter 12

Psychology by Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner (2009) Chapter 13

Psychology by Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner (2009) Chapter 14

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) fourth edition by the

American Psychiatric Association Pg. 456-458

Related articles

• Does Violence and Hip-hop Give a Positive Reinforcement? Lupe Fiasco Agree
• Positive Reinforcement and the General Public
• "Tips in Preventing and Dealing with Problematic Behavior" by Jennifer Cardinal, Ph.D.
• Lupe Fiasco On Violence In Music
• My Baby Week 41 - Baby - Your Baby (7-11 months)
• Cheers! New Info on Alcohol for Pregnant and Nursing Moms
• Study Reports College Students Listen to Advice About Alcohol
• Lupe Addresses Violence in Hip Hop
• What Attracts People To Violent Movies?

Read More

Save Your Time And Energy And Cash When Purchasing Automobile Insurance - Insurance

If you wish to choose the best automobile insurance policy, it is important to perform a detailed study and evaluate the existing car insurance providers out there. The next phase is to look through the vehicle insurance comments posted in regards to the company. This will help you give a honest concept of the reputation and reliability of the insurance carrier.

World-wide-web is without question the best way to get valuable and valid information and facts. It makes sense knowing the conditions and terms of the policy and also other legal issues associated previous to purchasing the insurance policy. The ultimate way to begin would be to request automobile insurance quotations. The person only requires to input a few common information that is required for having these online estimates from the insurance agency. A thorough and in depth car insurance review report would give a good idea of whether the insurance carrier should be able to fulfill the promises. It's a given that this products or services sold through the insurance companies are one along with the same with minor variations within the policy.

However, the service and customer care differs from one company to another. Furthermore, certain companies may be far more financially stable compared to others. It is far better to stay to such providers, even if it suggests shelling out a greater premium. Automobile insurance reviews will likely give you the details regarding the financial stability of the insurance carrier.

The consumer reviews will likely give you a perception of the customer satisfaction given by the provider. A web-based search also helps you to search through buyer complaints and just how properly the company has sorted them out. The quickness and method of handling of insurance claims is evidence of the reliability of the company.

Buying a financial product just like an insurance policies must be completed with consideration as well as the right research. The net quote tool is the best approach to request estimates and compare them. You may even want to talk with hometown insurance agents in regards to the reliability in the insurer. Insurance agents are professionals who will certainly use a sensible idea as well as counsel you on the form of insurance coverage to be bought that will satisfy your conditions and expense plan.

After you have the car insurance reviews in front of you, it is now simpler to make a choice as to buying the insurance policy. It is now left to you to pick the kind of policy that is effective and also inexpensive.

iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software

Read More

Operant Conditioning and Criminal Behavior

by Tina Handrick

Introduction

Operant conditioning is a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for certain types of behaviors (Cherry, nd). Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior. Operant conditioning (or operant learning) is a fundamental learning process that is acquired (or eliminated) by the consequences that follow the behavior. For example, a temper tantrum by a toddler at the checkout counter when she wants some candy from the nearby shelves may prompt the parent to give in and provide the child with the candy. Next time, at the same or similar checkout aisle, the temper-tantrum strategy will be tried again since it worked the first time. The child has learned the consequences of timely temper tantrums (Bartol & Bartol, 2011). In this way a child has learned that if they can time their temper tantrums at certain points of their outing with their parent that they can get what they want, when they want it without repercussions.

Behaviorism

Around the turn of the century a man named Edward Thorndike attempted to develop an objective experimental method for the mechanical problem solving ability of cats and dogs. Thorndike project was to devise a number of wooden crates which required various combinations of latches, levers, strings and treadles to open them. Once a dog or cat was put into one of these puzzle-boxes, and it would be put to the test to see if the animal could figure out how to escape from it. The initial aim was to show that the anecdotal achievements of cats and dogs could be replicated in controlled, standardized circumstance; however Thorndike soon realized that he could now measure animal intelligence using this equipment. By setting an task on these animals repeatedly , and measuring the time it took for the animals to solve them Thorndike could then compare them as learning curves in different situation and species (Eckart, 2007).

Thorndike was trying to see if his animals could learn their tasks through imitation or observation, it did not seem to make a difference if a cat was the first one in the puzzle to the last one in for he found that there was no difference in their learning rate on how to escape the box. Occasionally, quite by chance an animal would perform an action which would free it from the box and so when the animal would find itself in the same position again it would more than likely remember it and preform the same action again. The reward of being freed from the box somehow strengthens an association between a stimulus, being in a certain position in the box and an appropriate action and reward acts to strengthen stimulus-response associations (Eckart, 2007).

By 1910 Thorndike had formalized this notion into a 'law' of psychology - the law of effect. In full it reads: "Of several responses made to the same situation those which are accompanied or closely followed by satisfaction to the animal will, other things being equal, be more firmly connected with the situation, so that, when it recurs, they will be more likely to recur; those which are accompanied or closely followed by discomfort to the animal will, other things being equal, have their connections to the situation weakened, so that, when it recurs, they will be less likely to occur. The greater the satisfaction or discomfort, the greater the strengthening or weakening of the bond." Thorndike maintained that, in combination with the law of exercise, the notion that associations are strengthen by use and weakened with disuse, and the concept of instinct, the law of effect could explain all of human behavior in terms of the development of myriads of stimulus-response associations. It is worth briefly comparing trial and error learning with classical conditioning. In classical conditioning a neutral stimulus becomes association with part of a reflex (either the US or the UR). In trial and error learning no reflex is involved. A reinforcing or punishing event (a type of stimulus) alters the strength of association between a neutral stimulus and quite arbitrary response. The response is not to any part of a reflex (Eckart, 2007).

Social Learning

The social learning theory of Bandura emphasizes the importance of observing and modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. Bandura (1977) states: "Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action." (p22). Social learning theory explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioral, an environmental influences. The component processes underlying observational learning are: (1) Attention, including modeled events (distinctiveness, affective valence, complexity, prevalence, functional value) and observer characteristics (sensory capacities, arousal level, perceptual set, past reinforcement), (2) Retention, including symbolic coding, cognitive organization, symbolic rehearsal, motor rehearsal), (3) Motor Reproduction, including physical capabilities, self-observation of reproduction, accuracy of feedback, and (4) Motivation, including external, vicarious and self-reinforcement.

Because it encompasses attention, memory and motivation, social learning theory spans both cognitive and behavioral frameworks. Bandura's theory improves upon the strictly behavioral interpretation of modeling provided by Miller & Dollard (1941).  Bandura’s work is related to the theories of Vygotsky and Lave which also emphasize the central role of social learning.

Social learning theory has been applied extensively to the understanding of aggression (Bandura, 1973) and psychological disorders, particularly in the context of behavior modification (Bandura, 1969). It is also the theoretical foundation for the technique of behavior modeling which is widely used in training programs. In recent years, Bandura has focused his work on the concept of self-efficacy in a variety of contexts (e.g., Bandura, 1997).

Conclusion

From all of these theories you can see that from most perspectives that most criminal behavior is learned behavior. If your child/children are seeing behavior that is wrong or criminal then they are then likely going to follow that behavior. Also if the parent is easily to manipulate as a child grows then they learn how they can start to get away with behaviors that are not acceptable and they learn how to use that to their advantage once they are in the public eye. Parents need to become more aggressive when dealing with their children and make sure that they are better role model for them as they are growing up. There needs to be more consequences for children in the home that misbehave instead of parents ignoring the issues thinking that they will just go away, and by making sure that in the onset of early mental issues it is better to get them the help they need as soon as possible.

References:

Ninth Edition Criminal Behavior A Psychological Approach by Bartol, Curt R. & Bartol Anne M. Copyright ©2011, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River

Chapter 4 Origins of Criminal Behavior: Learning and Situational Factors; http://docsharing.next.ecollege.com/(NEXT(1879fa44db))/Main/CourseMode/DocSharing/ListCategoriesAndFilesView.ed#

Introduction to Operant Conditioning by Cherry, Kendra nd.-About.com Psychology: http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/a/introopcond.htm

Operant Conditioning and Behaviorism- an historical outline by Eckart, A 2004-2007: http://genetics.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de/behavior/learning/behaviorism.html

Personality Theories by Boeree, Dr. C. George: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/bandura.html

Read More

Affordable Females Motor insurance - Insurance

Affordable Women of all ages Automobile insurance

Are you currently a girl car owner whoever automobile insurance insurance policy is resulting in place intended for restoration shortly? In that case, then this document with cheap gals car insurance policy may be precisely what you're interested in. Rates to your auto certainly are a substantial element of your present whole car bills. If you can lessen the buying price of automobile coverage then you will have an overabundance revenue accessible to invest in other things in which subject back.

After all, buying car insurance isn't best topic. But it's a lawful necessity to get vehicle insurance in case you are visiting drive in any state of the United States connected with North america. Plenty of people merely look at in search of lower-cost alternative protection whenever their latest insurance policy arrives regarding renewal. It can be luring only to renew the plan with all your present service, although by using the recommendations on this page you might be capable of making some great personal savings.

First of all you want to do in the mission to find low-cost ladies automobile insurance would be to check around. Cost comparisons is a good path to finding the best offers for sale in the existing market place. Luckily, the Internet has produced comparison-shopping pertaining to car insurance much simpler presently.

Prior to using how do i evaluate auto insurance you need to choose exactly what higher level of cover you need. Do you require full coverage car insurance? Or perhaps may legal responsibility only security suffice? It's also sensible to come to a decision regardless of whether you need everything else for example medical expenditures deal with, crash protection, windscreen cover, supply of any complimentary automobile plus important caution include but if your car keys tend to be lost or perhaps ripped off.

If you find yourself searching for reasonable women of all ages car insurance policy you'll need to hit an account balance between gains than a prospective policy supplies within the cost that you'll be willing to spend.

You should consider precisely what a higher level allowable that you will be happy to keep on your own plan. If you ever improve the deductible you will then be capable to slow up the expense of a person's monthly premiums.

You should also consider no matter if you may fall full dental coverage plans automobile insurance defense favoring the liability merely deal with. In the event you drive an adult vehicle that you might want shedding impact protection entirely.

As you're a girl new driver, it's also advisable to take a look at the chance of taking out a plan with a professional insurance company that assures women of all ages drivers only. There are many organizations available in the market who seem to supply females exclusively protect. This might suit anyone when you are keen on the pros which will these lenders usually present for example infant push chair handle and in some cases insurance cover for ones purse sometimes.

In summary, cheap gals car insurance policy can be found by means of comparison-shopping applying Internet websites. You need to select the condition of insurance you're looking for in advance of looking at estimates. Looking for a suited scheme generally is a means of striking an account balance regarding the volume of cover you would if at all possible for instance as well as the amount of cash you are ready to fork out. As a final point, make sure you check out females solely car insurance policy businesses as frequently they will supply rewards which in turn lots of women find appealing. Should you follow this advice you ought to be capable of finding the least expensive ladies automobile insurance which happens to be meets your needs and your automobile.

iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software

Read More