Chapter Three

© 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved

Crisis InterventionWilliam Harmening

Roosevelt University

Harmening, Crisis Intervention: The Criminal Justice Response to Chaos, Mayhem, and Disaster

Chapter 3CRISIS COMMUNICATION


3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

To summarize the importance of communication to crisis intervention.

To define the basic tenants of Transactional Analysis as a model for crisis communication.

To list and explain the typical communication patterns of those in crisis.

To summarize the communication skills necessary to effectively de-escalate a person in crisis.

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

Understand the importance of communication to the crisis intervention process.

Learning ObjectivesAfter this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes

3.1

3.1 The Role of Communication

Containment and De-escalation

• A police or correctional officer’s most effective weapon is their ability to communicate. Done properly it can de-escalate a crisis. Done improperly it can have the opposite effect.

• The primary goal of crisis communication is twofold:

• CONTAINMENT

• DE-ESCALATION

• Communication is the first and most important step in the use of force. It is hoped that effective communication will render the use of physical or deadly force unecessary.

3.1 The Role of Communication

Containment and De-escalation

• Police and Correctional Departments invest large amounts of money in communication training for its officers.

• Most state-mandated academy programs now require a certain number of hours of training in this area.

• The more effective officers are at communicating, the less liability to the departments and ultimately the taxpaying public.

HOW WELL AN OFFICER COMMUNICATES CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH, INCLUDING THE OFFICER’S OWN.

Define the basic tenants of Transactional Analysis as a model for crisis communication.


3.2

3.2 Transactional Analysis

T.A. – A Communication Model

• Developed by Dr. Eric Berne (1958), a Canadian psychiatrist who studied the communication patterns of his patients.

• Referred to verbal and non-verbal exchanges between people as TRANSACTIONS.

• People tend to shift between various styles of communication during transactions, depending on their motives.

• According to Berne, people communicate from one of three EGO STATES:

PARENT • ADULT • CHILD


T.A. – A Communication Model

When We communicate from our PARENT, we are communicating in ways similar to how our parents communicated with us when we were children. This part of our personality is the storehouse for all the rules, imperatives, and values we were taught as children.

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

From the ADULT we communicate on a cognitive level rather than an emotional one. The adult responds to information in a rational and objective way.

The CHILD ego state includes all of our emotions and feelings developed and learned during childhood. Communication from this ego state tends to be irrational, emotional, and egocentric. People in crisis tend to communicate from their child ego state.


T.A. – A Communication Model (Parent Ego State)

• Developed during childhood as we internalize parental norms and expectations.

• These norms and expectations influence us both consciously and unconsciously.

• Simply put, when responding from our PARENT, we tend to respond in ways similar to how our parents responded to us.

• We may respond from either our CRITICAL PARENT or our NURTURING PARENT.

• CRITICAL PARENT demands, directs, orders, and seeks compliance.

• NURTURING PARENT demonstrates compassion, fairness, and honesty.

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD



Both the critical and nurturing parent can be either positive or negative

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

• Care giving• Protective• Sympathet

ic• Supportive

• Authoritative

• Fair• Demanding• Consistent

• Authoritarian

• Hypercritical

• Oppositional

• Inconsistent

• Fearful• Needy• Insecure• Over-

Protective

Positive Nurturi

ng Parent

Positive

Critical Parent

Negative

Critical Parent

Negative

Nurturing Parent



FOUR FUNCTIONAL MODES (PARENT)

• Positive Nurturing Parent (Caring)

Officer: “I’m going to give you a ticket for speeding because I want you to learn from this. I don’t want to see you in a bad accident someday.”

• Positive Critical parent (Authoritative)

Officer: “I’m giving you a ticket just like I give everyone else. It’s against the law to speed, and I’m here to enforce the law.

• Negative Nurturing Parent (Needy)

Officer: “I’ll let you go this time with a warning. I was a kid once. You should tell your friends what a good guy I am.”

• Negative Critical Parent (Oppositional)

Officer: “If you want to race cars, go to the racetrack! You’re not going to act stupid like this in my town!

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD


T.A. – A Communication Model (Child Ego State)

• Developed during childhood through interactions with our parents.

• Includes our feelings and felt emotions.

• People in crisis tend to respond from their CHILD ego state, as do intoxicated people.

• We may respond from either our NATURAL CHILD or our ADAPTED CHILD.

• NATURAL CHILD is the raw emotional part of our personality. Spontaneous, selfish, and with little concern for others. It is how we naturally acted as a child, mostly when our parents were not present.

• ADAPTED CHILD seeks acceptance, and is manipulative to gain it. The adapted child nags, complains, and protests to get its way. Includes the strategies we learned as children to deal with our parents.

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD



ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

Both the critical and nurturing parent can be either positive or negative

• Achieving• Compliant• Acceptance

-seeking• Sociable

• Fun-loving• Playful

• Personable• Spontaneo

us

• Avoidant• Aggressive• Emotional• Impulsive

• Manipulative

• Passive-aggressive

• Secretive• Calculating

Positive

Adapted Child

Positive

Natural ChildNegati

ve Natural Child

Negative

Adapted Child



FOUR FUNCTIONAL MODES (CHILD)

• Positive Adapted Child (Acceptance-seeking)

Officer: “I’m not here to cause problems for anyone. We all have to live in this town together. Just slow it down please. I’ll let you go with a warning.”

• Positive Natural Child (Fun-loving)

Officer: “Hey man, I love your car! In fact, I love it so much I’m going to give you a break!”

• Negative Adapted Child (Manipulative)

Officer: “I don’t see a phone number here on your driver’s license. Maybe if you give it to me we can work something out later to avoid a ticket.”

• Negative Natural Child (Aggressive)

Officer: “You just ruined a perfectly good nap there hotrod! You’re definitely getting a ticket!”

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD


T.A. – A Communication Model (Adult Ego State)

• The rational problem-solving component of our personality.

• The message of this ego state is “only the facts please.”

• When an officer maintains a professional demeanor they are responding from their adult ego state. They respond without emotion.

• Responding from the adult ego state is an important factor in containing and de-escalating crisis.

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD


T.A. – A Communication ModelDuring a transaction, people will shift between ego states. Police officers can use this to their advantage. Consider the classic “good cop-bad cop” interrogation method…

Officer no. 1: “Look scumbag, we know you did it, and I want your confession now or I’m really going to lose my temper!!”

Suspect to officer no. 2: “Tell your friend to back off! Officer no. 2 to officer no. 1: “Hey man, take a break! You’ve had a long day.”Officer no. 2 to suspect: “Sorry man, I don’t know what got into him. He can act pretty stupid sometimes. Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

Suspect to officer no. 2: “Just keep him out of here and this will go much better.”

Officer no. 2 to suspect: “It’s just you and me now. You seem like the type of person who needs to get something like this off his chest? This is your chance to do the right thing. I’ll help you anyway I can.”

Suspect to officer no. 2: “I swear it was an accident!”

PARENT

CHILD

CHILD

PARENT

CHILD

ADULTOfficer no. 2 to suspect: “I understand. Now let’s go back to the beginning. Tell me what happened the night of February 6th.”


T.A. – A Communication Model (Contamination)

PARENT

CHILD

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

ADULTParent contaminated

adult

Child contaminated adult

When a person, including a police or correctional officer, experiences contamination, their adult ego state has lost its ability to mediate internal conflict due to the disproportionate influence of wither the parent or child ego state.

The “tough guy” who tries to intimidate, bully, and

control others as a routine way of behaving. Corrupt

police officers tend to fall in this category, as well as

aggressive offenders, such as abusive husbands and

habitual brawlers.

These individuals tend to be impulsive, deceptive, and manipulative. As police officers, they are routinely dishonest and less than professional. They may lie in their reports and even fabricate evidence. Habitual criminals such as bank robbers, thieves and pedophiles tend to fall in this category.

List and explain the typical communication patterns of those in crisis.


3.3

3.3 Communication Patterns

Transactions

It is critical that police and correctional officers be able to answer four important questions when engaged in a transaction, especially one involving a crisis.

• From which ego state is the other person communicating?

• From which ego state are they communicating?

• Which ego state would be the most effective with this particular individual and situation?

• How can they influence the other person’s ego state in order to get them to a place where effective communication can take place?


Transactions – The Parallel Transaction

Both parties clearly understand the words and intentions of the other. They are effectively communicating, though the substance of the communication is not always best for the given situation. It can be said that they are “on the same wavelength.”

Even a verbal confrontation, though not desirable, can be parallel when both combatants clearly understand each other.


Parent-Child Parallel Transaction

Officer: “Is there a reason you’re driving like a maniac?”

Speeder: “I’m sorry officer. Please give me a break. It’ll be my third ticket.”

Officer: “Your problems are not my fault. Now give me your license. You’re getting a ticket!”

Speeder: “Please officer, I’m begging you. I’ll lose my job!”

In this short exchange the officer is responding from their negative critical parent, and the speeder from their negative adapted child. There are no misunderstandings. Because it’s parallel, each reinforces the other’s communication style.

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD


Child-Child Parallel Transaction

Officer: “It looks like this just isn’t your day, pal!”

Speeder: “Why don’t you find some real criminals to harass!”

Officer: “Why should I when I have jerks like you to mess with?”

Speeder: “You’re a big tough guy when you can hide behind that badge.”

Officer: “Well why don’t I just take this badge off and you can find out how tough I am!”

In this exchange, neither party is acting rational. They are both responding with emotion from their child ego state. Their transaction is predictable, making it parallel.

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD


Transactions – The Crossed Transaction

This occurs when two people are no longer effectively communicating, either with good or bad intentions. It can be said that they have their “wires crossed.”

In this case, the transaction is not predictable because one of the participants is communicating from an ego state other than the one to whom the other person is directing their communication.



ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

Officer: “Is there a reason you’re driving like a maniac?”

Speeder: “Look pal, you don’t know who I am! You better get back in that squad car and forget you ever stopped me!”

Officer: “I need to see your license, and NOW!”

Speeder: “Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?”

In this exchange, both parties are responding from their critical parent to the other’s child. Simply put, they are both talking down to the other.

Now let’s see what happens when the transaction continues….



Officer: “I’m the law, that’s who I am!”

Speeder: “Yeah, you’re right officer. I guess I’m just having a bad day.”

Officer: “Your license please.”

Speeder: “I guess I blew my chances for a break?”

Officer: “I would have written the ticket anyway. You really need to slow down in this part of town. There’s a school right around the corner.”

Now the officer continues to respond from their critical parent, but from a positive functional mode. And the speeder has switched to their positive adaptive child. We now have a parallel transaction.

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD


Transactions – The Crisis Transaction

• People in crisis tend to respond from either their negative natural or adapted child. They are almost always highly emotional, irrational, and unpredictable.

• There are two predominant goals of crisis communication; first, to maintain a parallel transaction; and second, to HOOK the person into an adult-adult parallel transaction.

• Hooking is a communication device that is intended to manipulate the person into communicating from a rational, non-emotional, and non-confrontational mode.



Consider the following…..

Subject: “I’m tired of living! Just leave me alone and let me shoot myself!”

Officer: “Sir, you’re in violation of the law by having that weapon. I’m going to ask you to put it down and place your hands against the wall.”

Here we have a crossed and ineffective transaction. The subject will interpret the officer’s demeanor as unresponsive and uncaring, potentially escalating the situation.

Now let’s look at this example from a different perspective….

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD




Officer: “Believe me, I understand what you’re saying. Life is not easy for any of us at times. Mine’s as screwed up as the next guy’s!”

This type of transaction can be effective, but must be used with caution. It’s purpose is to make a connection with the person in crisis in an effort to hook them into a parallel transaction.

In this case the officer determines that to respond from his nurturing parent will not be effective. Instead he responds from his child ego state.

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD




Officer: “Believe me, I understand what you’re saying. Life isn’t easy for any of us at times. Mine’s as screwed up as the next guy’s!”

Subject: “But at least you still have a job!”

Officer: “Yeah, and a failed marriage and more bills than I can pay!”

Subject: “Man I know that story well…”

Now the officer has hooked the subject into responding to his child, thus creating a parallel transaction.

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD



Subject: “I guess I’m just tired of living! No one loves me, or cares if I live or die”

Officer: “I’m here to help, and I care if you live or die.”

Now the officer has moved the transaction from a child-child parallel transaction (the hook), to a child-nurturing adult parallel transaction, an ideal transaction in this type of scenario.

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

ADULT

PARENT

CHILD

Summarize the communication skills necessary to effectively de-escalate a person in crisis.


3.4

3.4 Active Listening Skills

Building Rapport

In order to contain and de-escalate a person in crisis, the officer must establish rapport with the individual. This accomplished through a series of techniques we refer to as ACTIVE LISTENING techniques.

• Minimal Encouragements: Short verbal replies that demonstrate the officer’s concern for what the person in crisis is saying. “I understand”… “I see.”

• Paraphrasing: Repeating the person’s words back to them to demonstrate that they are listening and that they understand.

• Emotion-labeling: Paraphrasing what the person has said by attaching a label to the emotion, such as “it sounds as though the fight with your wife made you very angry.” This demonstrates to the person that officer understands not only what they are saying, but also feeling.

• Open-ended questions: Invites the person to talk. The more they talk, the more likely the officer will be able to de-escalate the crisis.

• “I” messages: This will personalize the officer and facilitate a connection.

• Effective pauses: Silence is uncomfortable, and may cause the person to keep talking. May also diffuse a confrontational exchange.


An officer’s most effective weapon is his or her ability to communicate. It can mean the difference between life and

death, and is the first step in the use of force. Mosr departments go to great expense training their officers to

communicate.

Transactional Analysis is a communication model that looks at communication in terms of motives and ego states. People

communicate from either their PARENT, ADULT, or CHILD ego state, all of which develop during childhood through the

child’s interactions with their parent(s).

There are various types of transactions, including parallel and crossed. Parallel transactions allow people to effectively communicate. Crossed transactions preclude effective

communication. The goal of crisis communication is to hook the person into a parallel transaction to begin the process of

de-escalation.

In order to de-escalate a crisis, the officer must establish rapport with the person in crisis. This is done through a series of communication

techniques referred to as ACTIVE LISTENING techniques.

CHAPTER SUMMARY

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Consider a male police officer responding to a domestic dispute involving a verbally abusive husband. How might the officer respond, and what types of things might he say, if he were to respond from his critical parent? From his adult? From his natural child?

2. Think of someone in your life who is routinely argumentative, perhaps a friend or family member. Describe the tactic you typically employ to thwart their efforts to suck you into the argument, and then relate that tactic to “hooking.”

3. Should male and female criminal justice professionals use the same communication style and tactics in any given situation, or are there gender differences in terms of what communication style works best?

Chapter Three

Health & Medicine

Transcript of Chapter Three