Towards a new methodology for making sense of case material: an illustrative case involving attempted multiple murder

Abstract

Functional analysis provides a method of understanding behaviour in terms of its consequences for the individual concerned. The suggestion is made here that the application of this method to past behaviour will be useful to both practitioners and researchers. It offers benefits in terms of organising case material, understanding the aetiology of the behaviour, planning interventions and predicting dangerousness. It should be noted, however, that this is not an exercise in developing causal models of specific offences. In this paper multiple sequential functional analysis methodology is described and the problems of applying it retrospectively to criminal behaviours discussed. The methodology is illustrated with the case of a man who formulated a plan to kill 20 people and was convicted of two counts of attempted murder.

Mentally disordered firesetters: a structured intervention programme

“…Currently, the data which is gathered and analysed weekly provides an ongoing source of information concerning the response of each participant to the content of each specific session. This individual specific information is then used as discussion points in the monthly one-to-one sessional work, as well as adding to a multiple sequential functional analysis of the participants' past and current overt and covert behaviour (Gresswell and Hollin, 1992). It is anticipated that at the end of the group, all of these behavioural ratings will be subject to statistical analysis to evaluated inter-rater reliability across and between all modules of the programme.…”

“…Such self-styled functional analysis provides complex and subtle assessments of firesetting, which allows the identification and subsequent intervention upon personalized contributory factors (Clare et al, 1992). The technique of multiple sequential functional analysis provides a framework for the mapping of patients' explanations for their previous and current behaviours onto both developmental factors and environmental conditions across time, rather than just taking a static analysis at one point in time (Gresswell and Hollin, 1992).…”

Functional analysis of challenging behaviour in dementia: the role of superstition

“…individual, person centred case studies) or nomothetic (i.e. analysis of a diagnostic category, such as depression) approaches to assessment and management (Gresswell and Hollin, 1992). Functional analysis can also be applied to systems and organisations (see Sturmey, 1996) and therefore lends itself to the range of approaches, including those interventions directed at sta, that are sometimes necessary in dementia care.…”

Using an integrative, Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) approach to treat intimate partner violence risk

“…A multiple sequential functional analysis (MSFA) is a series of functional analyses that link together to account for complex historical behaviour chains (Gresswell & Hollin, 1992). Mr A's case was formulated using the MSFA approach (see Table 1), which was used to guide treatment.…”

“…This case study applied functional analysis, which can be considered an important part of cognitive-behavioural case formulation as well as a CAT informed approach to formulation. For example, the intervention involved identification of RRPs and a CAT reformulation narrative letter, which is a therapy tool that is argued to be central to CAT (Newell et al, 2009) (Gresswell & Hollin, 1992). Mr A's case was formulated using the MSFA approach (see Table 1), which was used to guide treatment.…”