POLICE PERSONALITY - SOCIAL SCIENCE FOLKLORE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT (FROM PSYCHOLOGY IN THE LEGAL PROCESS, 1977, BY BRUCE D SALES - SEE NCJ-51491)

• NCJ Number: 51497
• Author(s): C A FENSTER; C F WIEDEMANN; B LOCKE
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 21 pages
• Corporate Author: Spectrum Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

COMPARISONS OF INTELLIGENCE AND PERSONALITY ARE DRAWN AMONG SAMPLES OF COLLEGE-EDUCATED AND NONCOLLEGE-EDUCATED POLICE AND CIVILIANS IN NEW YORK, N.Y.

Abstract

TESTS OF INTELLIGENCE, NEUROTICISM, DOGMATISM, MASCULINITY, AND PERSONAL PREFERENCES WERE TAKEN BY 250 NEW YORK PATROLMEN ENROLLED IN INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY CLASSES AT A CITY COLLEGE, BY 238 OFFICERS WHO WORKED WITH THE FIRST GROUPS BUT WHO HAD NEVER TAKEN A COLLEGE COURSE, BY 127 NONPOLICE STUDENTS, AND BY 127 CIVILIANS WHO HAD NEVER BEEN TO COLLEGE OR SERVED AS POLICE OFFICERS. THE INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT (IQ) OF THE AVERAGE POLICE OFFICER WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THAT OF THE GENERAL POPULATION. AVERAGE IQ WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FOR COLLEGE-EDUCATED OFFICERS THAN FOR NONCOLLEGE-EDUCATED OFFICERS. MASCULINITY SCORES SUGGEST THAT SEXUAL IDENTIFICATION IS NOT A PROBLEM FOR THE AVERAGE NEW YORK CITY POLICEMAN. POLICE GENERALLY SCORED LOWER IN DOGMATISM THAN DID CIVILIANS. COLLEGE-EDUCATED POLICE WERE LESS AUTHORITARIAN THAN THEIR CIVILIAN CLASSMATES. NONCOLLEGE-EDUCATED CIVILIANS WERE THE MOST AUTHORITARIAN AND DOGMATIC. POLICE GENERALLY WERE LESS NEUROTIC THAN CIVILIANS. NONCOLLEGE-EDUCATED CIVILIANS HAD THE HIGHEST NEUROTICISM SCORES. THE EDWARDS PERSONAL PREFERENCE SCHEDULE SCALES WERE LESS SENSITIVE THAN OTHER MEASURES TO DIFFERENCES AMONG GROUPS, BUT INDICATED THE FOLLOWING: COLLEGE-EDUCATED CIVILIANS WERE UNIQUELY LOW IN DEFERENCE AND ORDER AND HIGH IN AFFILIATION (SUGGESTING THE 1960'S STEREOTYPE OF THE REBELLIOUS STUDENT); COLLEGE-EDUCATED POLICE WERE SINGULARLY HIGH IN ACHIEVEMENT, DOMINANCE, AND INTRACEPTION, AND LOW IN NURTURANCE (SUGGESTING A PERSON WHO IS MOTIVATED, ASSERTIVE, AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY MINDED, BUT LACKING IN INTERPERSONAL GIVING); NONCOLLEGE-EDUCATED CIVILIANS SCORED HIGHEST IN ABASEMENT AND LOWEST IN HETEROSEXUALITY (SUGGESTING A RETIRING BUT SOMEWHAT GUILT-RIDDEN APPROACH TO LIFE); AND NONCOLLEGE POLICE HAD THE HIGHEST SCORES ON HETEROSEXUALITY. THE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT POLICE (PARTICULARLY COLLEGE-EDUCATED POLICE) REPRESENT A SUPERIOR SUBSAMPLE OF THE GENERAL POPULATION, SELF-SELECTED BY THE DEMANDS OF THE POLICE ROLE AND SOCIALLY SELECTED BY THE INCREASING PRESTIGE, DESIRABILITY, AND SELECTIVITY OF POLICE EMPLOYMENT. LIMITATIONS OF STUDY METHODS ARE NOTED. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)