NCJ Number
130858
Date Published
1991
Length
259 pages
Annotation
This book proposes techniques of self-image psychology as a means for police and correctional officers to manage their perceptions and behaviors so that their physical and mental health as well as responses to danger are enhanced.
Abstract
This book is based on the concept that persons' beliefs control their behaviors. The discussion first advises that the mental images that typically control the behaviors of police and correctional officers are stereotypical beliefs and perceptions drilled into an officer's mind by the professional subculture. A number of chapters instruct officers in mental techniques that involve an analysis of an officer's current mental images and attitudes as well as their behavioral consequences followed by techniques for supplanting debilitating mental images with those that produce desired behaviors and emotional states. Some of the common debilitating mental images that undermine officers' health and survival are identified, and techniques for creating new mental images are described. Three chapters focus on the street environment in which police officers work; they suggest perceptual skills, relational skills, organizational skills, and attitudes and beliefs that enhance an officer's ability to not only survive on the streets but display a quality of performance that maximizes an officer's effectiveness. A 16-item bibliography and a subject index