Part of the appendices: a single page on the plan for writing the dissertation, detailing how I wanted to split up my dissertation into three main bodies. Nice and comprehensive despite being a small document.
Introduction
Outline the key researchers involved and whether rewards or other forms of talk-based
treatments are more successful in treating psychopaths. Explain the definition of psychopathy
with a brief explanation of what it is and potential causes, statistics of crime-related
psychopathy and why it is important to treat psychopaths. I will also discuss ways of
measuring psychopathy and relate this to how far each treatment can treat psychopaths (e.g.
some may only treat ‘less severe’ psychopaths) and hence become less effective, briefly
discussing moral and philosophical implications. .
Thesis: Treating Monsters with Kindness: An exploration into whether
psychopathy can be treated with rewards instead of prisons or other forms of
harsh punishment.
Section One: Section Two: Section Three:
I will discuss why using rewards can I will find out how using I will explore how keeping
be beneficial for treating punishments can be an efficient way psychopaths in prisons (which can be
psychopathy. I will draw my of permanently curing more serious seen as a form of punishment) will
conclusions upon evidence of how psychopaths. Treatment can be seen inevitably make their psychopathy
reoffending is significantly reduced as a punishment in itself, as the lack worse. Keeping psychopaths in
once psychopaths are released. I will of empathy/pure ignorance that crime-ridden environments like
also evaluate the success of psychopaths possess highlights how these will only increase the chances
oppositional behavioural therapy in they believe that they do not need of The Lucifer Effect and modelling
child ‘psychopaths’ (children with treatment (even though logically, others’ bad behaviour (through
ODD) and how we can implement they do). Thus, I will refer to these Social Learning Theory). Therefore, I
this type of therapy as a cost- different treatments as will draw upon my existing
effective way in prisons. I will bring ‘punishments’ (even though they knowledge (due to Psychology A-
in my existing knowledge of operant don’t involve physical punishment). Level) on Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison
conditioning with new knowledge on I will then draw upon the talk-based Experiment to see how people can
the incentive theory to explain the therapies of CBT and Therapeutic easily conform to social roles within
reason for this type of therapy being Communities to see how these can prison, following an evaluation on
successful. be used both inside and outside of how this experiment has been
prisons, comparing this against the criticised. I will argue that prisons
reward-based therapies researched are solely for protection from the
in section one to come to a sound public rather than a treatment
conclusion on the more effective system.
treatment.
Conclusion:
I will come to a decision on the best way to treat psychopathy. I will also discuss issues of generalisation (e.g.
ODD has been tested on children, Zimbardo’s conclusions may have been falsified, etc.), hence we cannot come
to a sound conclusion. I will consider the practicality of these treatments, including the limitations of my
findings – these are the practical and ethical issues of gathering data from psychopaths and I will give a brief
evaluation of the evidence. I’ll argue that rewards are successful and cost-effective in prisons, in comparison to
group therapies as these are influential for ‘creating’ new psychopaths as a result of The Lucifer Effect and
Social Learning Theory. I will answer the questions: Can we treat psychopathy? Why can’t we use one
treatment for all psychopaths? How do we identify psychopaths? How can we identify success in a certain
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