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Anger Services for Correctional Institutions
Call (312) 490-4301 to schedule your customized anger clinic or program.
About our training programs
Training programs available
Suggested reading materials
About the Training Programs
Program Rationale
Individuals held in custody for legal and other reasons, will exhibit a predictable range and order of psycho-emotional responses to their loss of freedom. In addition to denial, shock, grief and so forth, perhaps the most obvious, and most dangerous response, is ANGER AND RAGE. The experience of freedom is the most fundamental psychological and emotional need of every normal human being. And whenever the sense of freedom is lost, restricted, interfered with and "detained", we will become very angry--often to the point of violence at any person (the "detainer") or any situation (social, political, etc) that we feel is responsible for the lost of our freedom.
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When
the anger becomes too much, and the individuals ability to managed
it too inadequate, the result is always violence, rage, chaos
and destruction.The
problem is NOT anger, the PROBLEM is the mismanagement of anger!
When the detainee does not know how to manage his anger appropriately,
he will mismanage it to point of rage and violent behavior every
single time. For many individuals, the natural agony and anguish
of the lost or restriction of their freedom is further compounded,
and exacerbated, by their preexistent feelings of self-contempt
and victimization. They perceive every reversal in their case,
major or minor, as if they were being "singled out" by others,
by fate or the "system" for special punishment. They are carrying
within themselves, a "victim mind-set" formed by their negative
childhood experiences (sexual and physical abuse, etc.) and
by their own negative Socio-Cultural experiences (racism, sexism,
etc.). They are predisposed to perceive adverse situations where no adverse situations exist. They perceive victimization when no victimization is intended. The "perceived" victimization make him/her feel as angry as real, and actual events, do. When this kind of individual's freedom is "detained", their natural anger response is psychologically escalated to a level of chronic, obsessive and compulsive rage. And then, they suffer far more than they need to throughout the whole ordeal of their detainment and lost of freedom. They suffer from the "mistaken" conviction that (1) life "should" be fair and (2) that it IS fair to others, and (3) that it is not fair to them! The perceived "unfairness" of life makes them even angrier. They cannot understand why they are singled out and being victimized/punished. Their definition and concept of what is "fair" is the same one they formed as children: "Everybody should get the same numbers of cookies." That is not fairness...that is the definition of "sameness". It is not based on merit and accountability. The negative attitudes which predispose many individuals to mismanage their natural anger at the loss of their freedom exist below the level of conscious awareness. And the role their own deeds and actions have played in the creation of their dilemma, do not affect their unconscious attitudes. They were learned "emotionally", and cannot be unlearned by only an intellectual process. Their feelings of Self Respect must be first restored through a therapeutic process. Unself-respecting people (self-contempt) are more vulnerable to the victim syndrome than their self-respecting counter-parts. Unless therapeutically intervened, many detainees in the correctional system will continue to display super anger/rage and the violent behavior that goes with it throughout the whole period of their custody. Ultimately, the price that is paid is catasthropic in both terms of dollars and human suffering. Their negative and destructive behavior exists within the context of their feelings of victimization, Anger and self-contempt and must be therapeutically diffused. When such detainees are taught how to manage their anger and rage appropriately, they become more capable of emotionally and psychologically coping with the reality of their situation and circumstances. They cease to be violent, feel inferior, worthless and act irresponsibly towards staff, other detainees and themselves. Slowly, their self-respect and humanity is restored. Back to top |
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Available
Training Programs for Correctional Facilities
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Recommended
Reading and Listening Materials
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