Program Participation Results in Differences in Perceptions of Empathy, Self-Esteem, and Locus of Control in Inmates
Start Date
April 2020
End Date
April 2020
Major Field of Study
Psychology
Student Type
Undergraduate - Honors
Faculty Mentor(s)
Afshin Gharib, PhD
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
The incarcerated in America are often not considered as targets for reform. However, jails and prisons in the United States do offer various programs aimed at inmate’s self-improvement which can include educational, religious, drug/alcohol rehabilitation and vocational programs. Previous research has found that participation in prison programs can have various benefits for inmates (Schippers, Marker & Fuentes-Merillas, 2001; Davidson & Young 2019). The purpose of this study is to build upon previous research regarding program participation and the positive impacts it can have on offenders. This study investigates differences in perceptions of inmates on the traits of empathy, self-esteem, and locus of control based on participation in program services. Empathy is the sharing of perceived emotions of another individual (Ballantine, Lin, & Ver, 2015b). Self-Esteem is the perception of positive internal self-attributions (Yuki, Sato, Takemura, & Oishi, 2013b). Locus of Control is an individual’s expectancy to perceive environmental impacts as either based upon one’s own ability or beyond one’s control (Wang & Su, 2013b). It is hypothesized that participants will perceive offenders not involved in programs to have lower levels of self-esteem, empathy, and an external locus of control. The participants will be 60 individuals recruited through classrooms and social media who will read a description of an inmate either participating in programs or not. Participants will then complete an Empathy Scale (Ballantine, Lin & Veer, 2015a), a Self-Esteem Measure (Yuki, Sato, Takemura & Oishi, 2013a) and a Locus of Control Measure (Wang & Su, 2013a) for the prisoner described.
Program Participation Results in Differences in Perceptions of Empathy, Self-Esteem, and Locus of Control in Inmates
The incarcerated in America are often not considered as targets for reform. However, jails and prisons in the United States do offer various programs aimed at inmate’s self-improvement which can include educational, religious, drug/alcohol rehabilitation and vocational programs. Previous research has found that participation in prison programs can have various benefits for inmates (Schippers, Marker & Fuentes-Merillas, 2001; Davidson & Young 2019). The purpose of this study is to build upon previous research regarding program participation and the positive impacts it can have on offenders. This study investigates differences in perceptions of inmates on the traits of empathy, self-esteem, and locus of control based on participation in program services. Empathy is the sharing of perceived emotions of another individual (Ballantine, Lin, & Ver, 2015b). Self-Esteem is the perception of positive internal self-attributions (Yuki, Sato, Takemura, & Oishi, 2013b). Locus of Control is an individual’s expectancy to perceive environmental impacts as either based upon one’s own ability or beyond one’s control (Wang & Su, 2013b). It is hypothesized that participants will perceive offenders not involved in programs to have lower levels of self-esteem, empathy, and an external locus of control. The participants will be 60 individuals recruited through classrooms and social media who will read a description of an inmate either participating in programs or not. Participants will then complete an Empathy Scale (Ballantine, Lin & Veer, 2015a), a Self-Esteem Measure (Yuki, Sato, Takemura & Oishi, 2013a) and a Locus of Control Measure (Wang & Su, 2013a) for the prisoner described.
Comments
This presentation was accepted for the Scholarly and Creative Works Conference at Dominican University of California. The Conference was canceled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic