PSY 310 Cumulative Risk Model Worksheet PDF

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PSY 310 Cumulative Risk Model Worksheet

Instructions: Complete PART I and PART II below.

PART I

Instructions: Read through the scenario and respond to the questions below.

Lisa is accused of luring a group of men into a park where they are attacked by a criminal street gang. She is also a gang member and this is part of her initiation. She had a very strict upbringing and was physically abused by her older brother and father growing up. At age 13, she befriended some gang members who let her hang around with them. She started skipping school and committing petty crimes such as theft and burglary. Her gang got into a fight with a rival gang and she was injured, requiring stitches and X-rays. A police report was filed, although no charges were brought against her.

Upon further investigation, you learn that Lisa was enrolled in several honors classes in her freshman year of high school before she started skipping school to be with her gang. In order to gain entrance to the honors classes, she was tested by the school psychologist for intelligence (IQ) and personality traits to determine the best fit for her academically. She had an IQ of 120, which is highly intelligent. Her personality traits, however, revealed that she was outgoing, quick to anger, had problems with authority, and charming with her peers. She was sent to the school counselor to help her with anger management, but only attended three sessions before dropping out of school.

Using the Criminal Data Guide document and thinking about the cumulative risk model, respond to the following:

1. What questions would you have asked to find out the information regarding Lisa’s school history?

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How would you describe Lisa as a student?

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How are her interactions with other students?

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How has she done academically in relation to her peers?

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How would you describe Lisa’s group of friends?

2. What other types of information would be important to ask about to further investigate this case? -

Information about Lisa’s home life could be useful to figure out if she was exposed to risk factors there, such as other family members being involved with gangs, criminal history in the family, and if she still lives with her abusers or if it was ever discovered that she was abused.

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Learning as much as we can about Lisa as an individual and her motivation to commit the crime.

3. Does Lisa’s IQ play a role in her behavior? Explain using psychological theories to support your response. -

With Lisa’s IQ being as high as it is, it would typically explain why she would not engage in criminal behavior. While IQ has not been found to have a direct link to delinquency, children with lower IQ scores are at a higher risk for delinquency (Bartol & Bartol, 2017). High IQ usually is indicative of good academic performance and acceptance of conventional values and conformity with a social environment, so

her IQ suggests that she had positive influence in regards to social, educational, and cultural experiences (Bartol & Bartol, 2017).

4. What role does Lisa’s age play in predicting her future criminal behavior? Are there developmental risk factors involved? Use psychological theories to support your rationale.

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According to Steinberg’s Dual System’s model, adolescents reach peak logical reasoning by age 16, however their psychosocial maturity is not fully developed until around the age of 25 (Bartol & Bartol, 2017). This means that Lisa is still at an age where she can struggle with peer pressure, act impulsively, and not have the capacity to think about the future. Her past of a strict upbringing and abuse could make her even more susceptible to influence by gang members.

5. Based upon psychological theories, what interventions might have prevented or reduced the likelihood of Lisa’s behavior?

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It is likely that the gang gave Lisa a sense of belonging and feeling loved that she was not getting in her upbringing, so having an adult that wasn’t as strict or abusive and made her feel loved and wanted could have deterred her from going down that path.

PART II

Instructions: Read the scenario below and respond to the questions.

Grant is a 14-year-old male from a poor home. Both of his parents work opposite shifts to make ends meet. Since Grant in the oldest child, he is often tasked with watching his younger brother and sister. However, when his parents are home, they are frequently tired and unable to pay much meaningful attention to their kids. Grant has several friends at school that he is close to and they are all in advanced placement classes. The school measured Grant’s IQ at 115, making him smarter than most of his peers. He really does not have to study much to get good grades, so he hangs out with two other friends and drinks alcohol with them. He is not well-liked by most of his peers who make fun of him because he is tall, smart, and gangly in appearance. Sometimes, the only meal he eats is at school as part of the lunch program because his parents do not have the time to make dinner. Last week, he was arrested for hacking the school’s computer system to change a few grades for his friends. Although never charged, he also hacked into a chain of local gas stations’ computer systems and tried to change gas prices, mainly because he was bored.

Using the Criminal Data Guide document and thinking about the cumulative risk model, respond to the following:

1. What risks does Grant have according to the cumulative risk model? -

Risks for social environment include living in poverty with limited access to resources, peer rejection, and acceptance by antisocial peers

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Parental and family risks include inadequate and neglectful parenting, increased stress due to being largely responsible for the care of his younger siblings, and child maltreatment and malnourishment.

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Psychological risk factors include poor interpersonal and social skills and possibly a behavioral disorder because of the delinquent behavior “out of boredom”.

2. How might these risks be realistically reduced? -

One possible option could be a therapeutic intervention that could provide individual counseling for Grant, and could also provide services that could help his family’s situation, including educational and family services, as well as employment services.

References Bartol, C.R. & Bartol, A.M. (2017). Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach (11th ed.). Pearson....