The Peer Culture Model

A forensic peer group approach to bullying after traumatic brain injury

“…Antisocial attitudes and psychological treatment Antisocial behaviour in adolescents and young adults is less likely to be altered in any enduring manner by behavioural techniques alone. A primary reason for this is that the behaviour in this sub-group often results from deeply held beliefs that support the use of aggression (e.g., Slaby & Guerra, 1988) and also the approval of aggressive behaviour by antisocial peers (Brendtro & Washmund, 1989). In institutional settings the picture is complicated further by the highly reinforcing nature of aggression in terms of establishing social status.…”

Residential treatment of children and adolescents: Past, present, and future.

“…Because institutions calling themselves residential treatment centers varied enormously in size, populations served, and services, Petti (1980) observed, “There is no typical residential center and no general agreement as to what defines a residential center” (p. 209). In addition, the programs in these facilities were increasingly heterogeneous as behaviorist (Blasé, Fixen, Freeborn, & Jaeger, 1989; Browning & Stover, 1971; Cohen & Filipizak, 1971; Pizzat, 1973), group process (Brendtro & Wasmund, 1989; Vorrath & Brendtro, 1974), psychoeducational (Lewis & Lewis, 1989), and other models (Lyman, Prentice-Dunn, & Gabel, 1989; Wilson & Lyman, 1983) were introduced and little attention was given in the literature to general concepts that encompassed these diverse programs. At best, most residential programs would describe themselves as doing “milieu therapy” and “life-space interviews,” but such ideas were seldom defined or applied in rigorous ways (Whittaker, 1970).…”

Foreword

“…In addition to the psychodynamic milieu approach, a number of other types of treatment milieu for troubled youth were developed subsequent to the early psychoanalytically based programs (Zimmerman, 1990). Some of those developments have included the "positive peer culture" model (Brendtro & Wasmund, 1989), behavioral therapy (Blase, Fixsen, Freeborn, & Jaeger, 1989), and Hobbs' residential psychoeducational approach (Lewis & Lewis, 1989).…”