Describe Psychological Findings Relating To Police Personality.

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Geoff Walker

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Describe Psychological Findings Relating To Police Personality

        Psychologists have found various psychological factors which influence a police person’s personality. The culture and ideas taken by a person to the position may be similar to other people who are attracted to the police force, as they may have similar personalities, which makes the police force appeal to them. The training which takes place as you enter the police force was argued to change and mould individuals into having similar personalities. The way the public perceive the police force may be why we believe them to have similar personalities, as the stereotype of the police in the area you live may have made you judge the police as a whole instead of individuals.

        In a psychological study which was carried out in 1977 found police recruits to be more conservative than the general population,. But after the training period which takes place at the begging of an officer’s career proved to change the individual who then became less conservative. Cook’s (1977) findings found conservatism scores similar to those reported by Potter, and officers within a twelve month period would mould and become less conservative that the new recruits which had just entered. Even though they became less conservative, still the findings showed that even after training the police were more conservative than the general public

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.        Cochrane and Butler (1980) compared values held by new recruits joining the force to police officers who had been through the police training. Also compared in the study were civilians. The method used was to test the subjects using the Value survey (Rokeach 1973). The findings showed the police officers placed self respect and less value on a world at peace. Civilians and recruits differed only by the fact that recruits placed less importance on a world at peace. Officers were found to concentrate more on self comfort and self respect than a world at peace. Officers differed to recruits ...

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