NCJ Number
90017
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1983) Pages: 156-165
Date Published
1983
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Rather than focusing upon police stress as an analytical concept, intervention efforts should focus on specific job-related and personal problems encountered by police, such as alcoholism, drug abuse, marital and family problems, and difficulties stemming from shift work, and lack of participation in departmental decisionmaking.
Abstract
This study first reviews discussions of police stress to outline the most frequently held perceptions of this problem. Secondly, it is argued that the view of police stress as being affected by external stressors, the coping ability of individual officers, and the degree of organizational support provided stressed officers reflects fundamental administrative concerns. Thirdly, it is argued that the selective use of two theoretical models found in discussions of police stress creates a number of conceptual problems which endanger the credibility of the stress concept. Further, models of the individual and organization underlying many of these discussions suggest that stress is an ever-present feature of both individual and organizational life, thus being beyond remedy, contrary to the administratively-oriented perceptions of this problem. Consequently, police stress is a concept of dubious analytical value. This suggests that attempts to modify the behavior patterns of individual officers and deal with the organizational and personal problems they might have can be accomplished without involving intervening concepts such as stress and personality types. Programs should deal with specific problems such as alcoholism or drug abuse, and if difficulties are thought to be linked to certain aspects of organizational life, then these specific organizational characteristics can be addressed. Fifty-four references are provided.