Negative relating styles of learning-disabled and non-learning-disabled offenders

Abstract

Understanding the relating style of offenders is a relatively new concept in forensic psychology with research focusing on the association between relating and different categories of offenders (Newberry & Birtchnell, 2011). 'Relating theory' is based on the premise that we are born with a predisposition to relate to others in eight primary ways, and with maturity we can achieve a competent relating style. These eight positions incorporate the four key relating objectives of 'upperness', 'lowerness', 'closeness' and 'distance' that form the basis of the interpersonal octagon. The interpersonal octagon is organised around two intersecting axes: 'close' versus 'distant' on the horizontal axis, and 'upper' versus 'lower' on the vertical axis. A blend of the horizontal and vertical states create four intermediate positions completing the octagon. 'Close' is an interactional process of seeking closeness with the desire to gain greater involvement with others, whilst individuals with a 'distant' relating style have a need for separation and self-efficacy (Birtchnell, 1994). 'Upper' is a multifaceted relating objective that allows an individual to gain a sense of superiority in relation to others, versus 'lower' where the individual has a dependent relating style (Birtchnell, 1994). A relating style that lacks versatility and competence is known as negative relating.Final peer reviewed manuscript accepted in Journal of Forensic Practice, 2017.Relationship status and relating styles are incorporated within actuarial and dynamic risk assessments e.g. Risk Matrix 2000(Thornton, 2010 and Structured Assessment of Risk and Need (Home Office, 2005). Using these assessments on learning-disabled (LD) offenders can increase their risk level (Brown & Stein, 1997) as they are less likely to have engaged in an enduring relationship due to interpersonal deficits (Day, 1994). Although relationship status is an integral part of assessing risk, limited research has focused on the offender's relating ability. Developing an understanding of the negative relating styles of LD and non-LD offenders is essential to identifying the treatment needs of these distinct groups. By increasing our knowledge of LD offenders and their associated relating styles, the theoretical underpinnings of risk assessments can be enhanced. In line with the Risk Need Responsivity approach (Bonta & Andrews, 2007) increased knowledge of the risk and needs of LD offenders can support the development of LD-specific interventions.The interpersonal octagon is a well-validated and accepted model for defining and classifying relating styles. The Person's Relating to Others Questionnaire (PROQ2) was designed to measure relating within the octagon and has been used in various studies to assess relating styles in psychotherapy settings (Birtchnell, 2002), with depressed patients (Birtchnell et al., 1992), and personality disorders (Birtchnell & Shine, 2000). The shorter PROQ3 was designed to measure negative relating, as illustrated in Figure 1 and has been shown t...