IMPACT OF ETHNICITY ON VALUE STRUCTURES, WORK ORIENTATIONS AND SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS OF A MAJOR METROPOLITAN SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

• NCJ Number: 34467
• Author(s): F M MOSS
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 291 pages
• Grant Number(s): 74-NI-99-1002
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY - DISSERTATION

Annotation

THIS RESEARCH SOUGHT TO EVALUATE WHETHER ETHNICITY IS A SALIENT INDEPENDENT VARIABLE AFFECTING THE BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDES OF POLICE.

Abstract

FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY ETHNICITY WAS DEFINED IN TERMS OF AN INVOLUNTARY GROUP ASSOCIATION WITH A CULTURE-BEARING GROUP, AND A CULTURE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM BASED ON STRUCTURAL SIMILARITIES WAS DEVELOPED AS THE BASIS FOR THE SPECIFICATION OF NINE RESEARCH HYPOTHESES. THE PRIMARY CONTRAST IN THE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM WAS BETWEEM MODERN ETHNIC GROUPS (THOSE FROM ALL NORTHWESTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES EXCEPT IRELAND) AND TRADITIONAL ETHNIC GROUPS (THOSE FROM SOUTHERN AND EASTERN EUROPE, AS WELL AS LATIN AMERICA). NINE RESEARCH HYPOTHESES WERE TESTED USING SURVEY DATA COLLECTED FROM 192 OFFICERS OF THE WAYNE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, DETROIT, MICHIGAN. VALUE STRUCTURES, WORK ORIENTATIONS, AND SEVERAL SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES WERE SELECTED AS THE OPERATIONAL MEASURES OF ETHNICITY, PREMISED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT EACH OF THESE FACTORS ORIENT AND CONDITION BEHAVIOR. IT WAS NOTED THAT MOST DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS WHICH WERE DISCLOSED IN THE ANALYSIS WERE NOT OF GREAT ACTUAL MAGNITUDE. THE OFFICERS, ACROSS ETHNIC LINES, INDICATED SOME CONSISTENT PREFERENCE PATTERNS. IT WAS FOUND THAT MODERN ETHNICS WERE CHARACTERIZED BY INDIVIDUALISM, EXISTENTIAL LIFE STYLES, AND EXPANSIVE SOCIAL OPTIONS, WHILE THE TRADITIONAL GROUP SHOWED A TENDENCY TOWARD A MORE TIGHTLY WOVEN, MORE SOCIALLY STABLE AND PEOPLE-INTENSIVE CULTURE. IMPLICATIONS OF THESE FINDINGS FOR POLICING ARE DISCUSSED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)