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LEARNING DISABILITIES/MENTAL RETARDATION AND VIOLENCE

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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)
VU
Lesson 25
LEARNING DISABILITIES/MENTAL RETARDATION AND VIOLENCE
Objectives
To understand the relationship of learning disabilities and violence
To understand how rage builds up in individuals with Learning Disabilities
Learning Disabilities (LD)/ Mental Retardation (MD)
Usually label of mental retardation is used but it does not give a well impression. Who are learning
disabled? Means subaverage general intellectual functioning which originates during the developmental
period and is associated with impairment of one or more of the following:
(1) Maturation
(2) Learning
(3) Social adjustment
LD/MR and crimes
One thing is very important to understand that usually learning disabled do not commit crime. MR and
crimes are not correlated like ASPD and crime have deep connection. But sexual offences are slightly
rare because they are not competent enough to understand social rules. Sexual offences are of minor
severity like indecent body exposure e.t.c.
Violent Crimes
Even though crimes committed by LD are rare, these could be very serious like murder, causing
grievous bodily harm e.t.c. as we discussed in one of our previous lectures that not just anger and
aggression but rage is the basic reason of any such serious crime.
How rage builds up in individuals with Learning Disabilities
In one of our previous lectures, we have discussed this issue in detail that how different factors
contribute to the eruption of rage.
Learning disabled child is unwanted and unloved
Feels the societal death wish
The Learning Disabled always set a typical poor "Smile" on their face. Assuring others
that we are not bad, so please do not hate us.
Frequently subjected to physical and sexual abuse and violence by significant figures of
life.
They are always considered the "shame of family" and kept hidden
Unexpressed anger and aggression over a long time and inhumane treatment of parents,
family and other society members leads to the build up of rage.
So sudden unexpected eruption of rage can result in murder, rape, other violent offences
Autism/ Aspergers
Asperger's syndrome is on the autistic continuum but unlike autistic disorder, there are no
significant delays in language, cognition, or self-help skills. Communications are generally one-
sided; patients proclaim rather than interact.
A development disorder whose essential features include:
Socially naïve, sustained impairment from mild to severe, in social interaction
Restricted, repetitive patterns of interest, behaviour and activities (obsessive interests)
Aspergers are usually quite intelligent
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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)
VU
Because of their high degree of functionality and their naiveté, those with AS are often
viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying. So,
Feels depressed and anxious
Aspergers and violence
Aspergers usually do not commit violence but their behaviours are for other people because they are
unable to understand the unwritten societal rules.
Their sexual offences could be things like indecent exposure, masturbation in public,
inappropriate touching etc.
Their physical violence could be random attacks and may vary in intensity.
Aspergers are anxious because they can not easily adjust to society so as a consequence
feel anxiety and some time this state can lead to some illegal behaviours like drug use.
Some time they can suspicious and paranoid and this feeling can pave the path for
some kind of offence.
Their most of crimes are misunderstandings based
Another frequent reason is exploitation by others
Erratic behaviors
Unpredictable temper tantrums
Disproportionate responses could cross criminal threshold (like some time give you a
vibrant smile if you slap them on face and some time can attack you if you smile)
If they have obsessions that involve some kind of illegal activity then they can commit
Ritualistic crimes
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Table of Contents:
  1. INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY:Future of Forensic Psychology
  2. INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC PSYCHOOGY:Way of police investigation
  3. FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY AND POLICE:Violent Criminals
  4. POLICE PSYCHOLOGY:Use of excessive force, Corruption, Personnel Selection
  5. POLICE PSYCHOLOGY:Fitness-for-Duty Evaluation (FFDE), False Confessions
  6. INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY:For instance, Empirical and logical approach
  7. INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY:Crime Scene Investigation, Staging
  8. PSYCHOLOGY OF VIOLENCE:Law of Conservation of Energy, Super ego
  9. PSYCHOANALYTIC MODEL AND VIOLENCE:Fixation at Oral Stage
  10. PSYCHOANALYTIC MODEL AND VIOLENCE:Defense Mechanism, Rationalization
  11. JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY AND VIOLENCE:Freudian Methods, JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY
  12. JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY AND VIOLENCE:Religion and mental illnesses
  13. BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE:Shadow’s violence, Child’s violence
  14. BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE:Operant Conditioning
  15. BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE:Schedules of Punishment
  16. SOCIAL LEARNING MODEL AND VIOLENCE:Observational learning, Vicarious punishment
  17. MORAL DEVELOPMENT AND VIOLENCE:Symbolic functioning, Formal operational stage
  18. BIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL MODEL:Mental hospitals are factories of abuse
  19. ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE ABOUT VIOLENCE:Morality is essential
  20. ISLAMIC MODEL:Nafs al-Ammara, Nafs al-Lawwama, Nafs ul Naatiqa
  21. TREATMENTS FOR THE SOUL:Tawba, Sabr o Shukr, Niyyat o Ikhlaas, Taffakkur
  22. CRIMINOGENIC PERSONALITY:Personality Disorders, Common Crimes
  23. CRIMINOGENIC PERSONALITY AND VIOLENCE:Mnemonic, Similarities
  24. CRIMINOGENIC PERSONALITY AND VIOLENCE:Terrorism and Psychopaths
  25. LEARNING DISABILITIES/MENTAL RETARDATION AND VIOLENCE
  26. ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITY DISORDERS:Reasons for referral, Personality Inventories
  27. ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITY DISORDERS:Different cutoff scores
  28. RISK ASSESSMENT:Violence reduction scale, Stability of Family upbringing
  29. TREATMENT OF VIOLENT BEHAVIOR / PERSONALITY PSYCHODYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY
  30. JUNGINA THERAPEUTIC MODEL:Limits of re-parenting, Personality Typologies
  31. GROUP THERAPY FOR OFFENDERS:Learning in Groups, Humanistic Groups
  32. PSYCHOTHERAPIES IN FORENSIC SETTINGS:Narrative Therapy
  33. PSYCHOTHERAPIES IN FORENSIC SETTINGS:Solution Focused Therapy
  34. PSYCHOTHERAPIES IN FORENSIC SETTINGS:Avoiding reactance, Externalization
  35. PSYCHOTHERAPY IN FORENSIC SETTINGS AND SPECIAL CHALLENGES
  36. FORENSIC PSYCHOTHERAPY:Exploring therapeutic alliance, Music Therapy
  37. VIOLENCE REDUCTION PROGRAM:Target Population, Lack of motivation
  38. VIOLENCE REDUCTION PROGRAM:Criminal attitude, Interpersonal Aggression
  39. VICTIM SUPPORT:Main features of PTSD, Emotional Support
  40. VICTIM SUPPORT:Debriefing, Desensitization, Eidetic Therapy, Narrative Therapy
  41. SUBSTANCE MISUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM:Marijuana, Unconventional drugs
  42. SUBSTANCE MISUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM:Stages of Change, Homosexuality
  43. EXPERT WITNESS:Insanity Pleas, Sexual Offence Risk, Instructions
  44. COUNTER TERRORISM:Misconceptions, Psychologists & Propaganda war
  45. SUMMING UP FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY:Problems with Risk Assessment, Expert Witness