Extending the utility of the General Aggression Model

This thesis examined whether the addition of person-specific, clinically relevant models of maladaptive personality and cognitive, emotional and coping states (schema modes) improved the utility of the General Aggression Model in sample of male offenders. The results showed that the addition of novel, clinically meaningful maladaptive personality and schema concepts improves our understandings of aggression in offender populations. Specifically, the results indicated that broader inclusion of maladaptive risk taking tendencies and schema modes characterised by destructive coping behaviours within the General Aggression Model framework is likely to assist in both characterising and differentiating among violent offenders and provides a more comprehensive conceptual framework by which to target and ameliorate aggression risk.