Syftet med denna uppsats är att utifrån ett socialpsykologiskt perspektiv undersöka hur poliser bearbetar problematiska emotionella upplevelser som uppstår i de sociala interaktioner de ingår i under en arbetsdag. Vidare är syftet att undersöka vad poliserna själva har en önskan om att uppnå när det gäller bearbetning av emotionell påfrestning.    Studien har en kvalitativ hermeneutisk ansats och baseras på åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer. För att analysera resultatet av studien har följande teorier använts; Erving Goffmans dramaturgiska perspektiv, Björn Nilssons rollbeskrivning, Tomas. J. Scheffs teori om skam och stolthet samt Arlie Hochschilds beskrivning av emotionellt arbete.    Resultatet visar att polisernas roll är tydlig och att förväntningarna på rollen är höga. Vidare visar studien vikten av en gemenskap inom arbetslaget som präglas av tillit och öppenhet då de till facto håller varandras liv i sina händer. Bearbetningen sker främst genom mental förberedelse samt samtal och stöttning inom tur-laget. / The purpose of this study from a social psychological perspective to examine how police officers process problematic emotions that arise in the social interactions they are part of on a working day. Further on to explore the officers view on processing of emotional stress.    The study has a qualitative hermeneutical approach and is based on eight semi-structured interviews. To analyze the results of the study, the following theories have been used; Erving Goffman's dramaturgical perspective, Björn Nilsson's role description, Tomas. J. Scheff's theory of shame and pride, and Arlie Hochschilds description of emotional labor.    The result shows that the policemen's role is clear and that expectations of the role are high. The study also shows the importance of a community within the work team that is characterized by trust and openness when they actually hold each other's lives in their hands. The processing of emotions are done primarily by mental preparation as well as conversation and support within the work team.

abstract: Since the passing of anti-immigration laws, Latinos/as have become more vulnerable to racial profiling, thus increasing the chances of having negative interactions with police officers regardless of documentation status. Within criminology fields it has been reported that Latinos/as in general hold a higher fear towards the police when compared to Whites. However, there is has been limited research capturing perceptions of police officers using a quantitative approach. Method: 26 items were developed and was hypothesized to have 3 subscales: Fear of Police Officers, Anxiety of Interacting with Police Officers, and Self-Perceptions of How Police View Latinos/as. The final analytic sample included 288 self-identified as Latinos/as using an online survey. Most of the participants (92.7%) indicated being either U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Results: Results indicated that there were 3 latent factor structure of the POPS with Cronbach’s alpha’s above 0.9. Results from the Pearson bivariate analysis indicated that POPS sub-scale Anxiety of Interacting of police officers positively correlated with anxiety symptoms (r = .47, p < .01). In addition, POPS sub-scale Fear of Police Officers positively correlated with anxiety symptoms (r = .43, p < .01). POPS sub-scale Perceptions of Police Officers (r = .36, p < .01). Furthermore, direct negative past experiences with police officers had a moderation effect between the associations of self-perceptions of how police view Latinos/as and psychological distress by enhancing the relationship between those two variables (ΔR2= .25, F (2, 297) = 31.82, p < .05; (β = -.16, p > .05). Conclusion: This study contributes to our knowledge on self-perceptions of police among ethnic minorities and its association with mental health. These findings warrant attention for law enforcement and health service providers as it can help assist in understanding the mechanism involved in the development of Latino/a mental health disparities. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Counseling Psychology 2018

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Este estudo parte da perspectiva subjetiva de policiais militares no que se refere a sua atividade laboral. A pretensÃo à compreender como se estabelece a lÃgica explicativa sobre a atividade fim como parte do adoecimento do sujeito, sendo revelada por estes atores sociais, caracterizados pelos discursos de medicalizaÃÃo, como sujeitos em crise, âdiagnosticadosâ como portadores de doenÃas de cunho psicolÃgico. Para tanto, foi realizado trabalho de campo de sete meses intensivos em uma unidade de tratamento da prÃpria instituiÃÃo militar, o Centro Biopsicossocial da CorporaÃÃo. O acesso a estes sujeitos, bem como parte de seus tratamentos foi privilegiado, neste contexto interacional. Nas categorizaÃÃes simbÃlicas destes sujeitos, parte de seu adoecimento se deve a dois tipos de problemas detectados como constituintes de sua rotina de trabalho, primeiro como problemas que afetam diretamente o corpo do indivÃduo como, em alguns casos, as condiÃÃes de trabalho insalubres, falta de equipamentos de seguranÃa deixando o sujeito exposto ao imprevisÃvel, Ãs escalas de trabalho exaustivas, com horas consecutivas em pÃ, em pelo sol, entre outros. O segundo problema està baseado em violÃncias simbÃlicas que incidem diretamente na mente do indivÃduo, provocando uma dor invisÃvel capaz de gerar sofrimentos, como o assÃdio moral, humilhaÃÃo, abuso de autoridade e as puniÃÃes veladas, este segundo problema à o mais recorrente nas narrativas destes sujeitos. Para estes agentes sociais tais problemas incidem em seus corpos em forma de doenÃas, sendo reverberadas em pressÃo profissional agindo diretamente nos modos de ser e de estar em sociedade. Para alguns, sÃo usadas tambÃm como justificativa para aÃÃes de violÃncia. Como aporte metodolÃgico, parte-se da experiÃncia etnogrÃfica nesse Centro de tratamento sobre a qual foram selecionadas as trajetÃrias de vida de trÃs militares e fragmentos de histÃrias de vida como fontes explicativas dessa problemÃtica. As justificaÃÃes se iniciam pelas condiÃÃes elencadas como propiciadoras de adoecimentos, passando pelo processo de acompanhamento terapÃutico e a adesÃo a grupos religiosos como possibilidade de cura. Em Ãltimo caso destaca-se um dos casos cujo fim trÃgico se configura como suicÃdio. Nesta perspectiva, categorias como humilhaÃÃo, sofrimento e medo sÃo usadas pelo prÃprio indivÃduo e pelos colegas de farda para explicar os seus dramas. Por fim pretende-se compreender como estes sujeitos entendem seu trabalho a partir desta condiÃÃo. / This research builds up from the subjective perspective of Military Police Officers in regards to their working activity. The intention is to understand how to establish an explanatory logic featuring work as a part of the subjectâs illness â as it is revealed by these social actors, characterized by the discourse of medicalization as âsubjects in crisisâ and âdiagnosedâ as carriers of psychological diseases. For such an enterprise, an intensive fieldwork research of seven months was conducted inside one of the military institutionâs treatment unit in Fortaleza, Brazil: the Corporationâs Biopsychosocial Center. Within this interactional context, the access to these subjects and a part of their treatments were selected as the focus. Following these subjectsâ symbolic categories, they attribute a share of their illness to two kinds of problems perceived as constituents of their work routine. First, as problems directly affecting the individualâs body, such as unhealthy working conditions, lack of security equipment leaving the subject vulnerable to the unpredictable, and the exhausting work schedules, with long hours standing on foot under the sun, among others. The second problem is based on the symbolic violence that directly affects an individualâs mind, inflicting an invisible pain capable of generating suffering, such as moral harassment, humiliation, abuse of authority and covert punishment. The second problem is the most recurring in these subjectsâ narratives. For these social agents, such problems affect their bodies in the form of illnesses, which reverberate as professional pressure directly influencing their ways of being in society. For some of them, these illnesses are also used for justifying acts of violence. An ethnographic experience was carried out as a methodological approach inside this treatment Center, from which the life trajectories of three military police officers and fragments of life stories were selected to feature as clarifying sources of this problem. The justifications are initiated by the aforementioned conditions conducive to illness, passing to therapeutic monitoring and concluded by adherence to religious groups as a possible path of cure. Another case to be highlighted is one of tragic outcome, which led to suicide. In this perspective, categories of humiliation, suffering and fear are mobilized by the individuals and their colleagues in uniform to explain their dramas. Ultimately, we aim to promote comprehension of how these subjects understand their work considering this condition.

The democratization of South Africa (SA) officially took shape in 1994. This was after the first democratic elections on 27 April 1994. The elections were preceded by the acceptance of the Interim Constitution (Act 200 of 1993). The new dispensation was characterized by the adoption of Constitutional principles as national values of democracy. As a result of the adoption of a constitutional dispensation (namely both the Interim Constitution (Act 200 of 1993) and the Constitution (Act 108 of 1996) the Constitution became the supreme law of SA above all other laws that were in place. This era also enabled the elevation of the powers and status of the courts, and the system of checks and balances was enshrined. This research was initiated by a lack of a standardized formula for calling the police to account for their actions and decisions. The current study sought to explore whether there are any national, regional, and global standards for calling the police to account. Furthermore, it sought to establish if there are any comparative studies that sought to assess police accountability efficacy within regional and global perspectives. In order to make these determinations within a qualitative approach, the study sought to determine the practice and a culture of accountable policing within the Gauteng police practices. This determination was done by determining the perspectives of the operational police officers (crime prevention) who are rendering the first priority core business of the police in SA, namely the prevention of crime. To achieve this goal, two questions needed to be answered, namely: What is the police definition of policing accountability?; How can policing accountability be enhanced and promoted within the daily practices of crime prevention police officers? To have these questions answered, the following objectives were formulated for the study: - To explore and describe the perception of crime prevention police officers in Gauteng Province with regard to “policing accountability”. - To identify and describe guidelines to support these police officers to enhance and promote policing accountability in their day-to-day police practices in the Province. To achieve these objectives, a mixed research design, consisting of a qualitative-, explorative-, descriptive-, and contextual research design, was utilized. The target population consisted of all crime prevention police officers who were at that time attached to the seven policing areas/precincts of the Gauteng police service. Twenty eight- (28) focus group interviews were scheduled for the study throughout Gauteng Province. The sampling technique that was used in the study was the non-probability purposive sampling technique. The interviewing process was conducted until saturation was reached. To ensure validity and reliability of the results of this study, Guba’s model (in Lincoln& Guba, 1985:295-300) of ensuring trustworthiness, was applied. Data was collected by means of in-depth, semi-structured phenomenological focus group interviews, as well as supportive field information (in the form of field notes and observation). A tape-recorder was used to capture data, which was then transcribed “verbatim” to facilitate the process of data categorization. Data was analyzed according to the descriptive approach of Tesch (1990:142-145). This method helped the researcher to reduce the data into themes, sub-themes, categories, and sub-categories. The findings of this study were then controlled using available literature. From the analysis of the findings, six themes were identified as obstacles hindering the practice and a culture of policing accountability. In order to deal with the obstacles within the police practices, six strategies were developed to enhance and promote the practice and a culture of policing accountability within the Gauteng police practices. From the findings of the study and themes that developed therein, a six-tier framework/model was developed for the study. Recommendations that emanated from the study are presented in the last chapter. / Dissertation (MA (Social Work and Criminology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Social Work and Criminology / MA / unrestricted

African American police officers, as other African Americans, report being subjected to racial profiling by police officers, and that these encounters have, in some cases, resulted in excessive and unjustified use of force. These types of occurrences have resulted in a divide between African American and Caucasian police officers. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of African American male police officers in the State of New Jersey who feel they have been discriminated against by fellow law enforcement officers. Weber's social relationship theory served as the theoretical framework for this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with a snowball sample of 20 participants. Data were coded and analyzed using a modified van Kaam method of analysis. Findings revealed that most participants felt they had been stopped for no reason, and that they were disrespected by fellow officers, even when they revealed they were law enforcement officers. Many times, participants sensed that the disclosure of their status as a police officer was met with increased suspicion. Consistent with social relationship theory, a significant theme was that participants perceived that they were considered by Caucasian officers to be a member of a subgroup, rather than a member of the dominant group. The implications for positive social change include recommendations to law enforcement policymakers and leaders to learn about the detrimental effects of racial profiling on African American male police officers' morale, work ethic, job satisfaction, and personal feelings of worth as well as to focus resources on creating stronger policies against racial profiling and effective training and oversight of police officers.

Most studies of the Drug Awareness Resistance Education (DARE) program evaluate the program’s effectiveness; this thesis instead examines the police officers who implement the program. Based on interviews with 12 DARE officers in the Northeast region of Tennessee, the thesis explores how members of this special category of police officers identify themselves. The DARE officer interviews were compared with published literature on conventional police officers. All DARE officers interviewed defined themselves as police officers but did little to no actual police work, nor were they viewed by patrol officers as “real” police officers. Instead, DARE officers functioned primarily as educators. In order to maintain their identity as police officers, DARE officers employed the use of props. These props presented the visual image of a police officer and, therefore, allowed DARE officers to define themselves as such.

Denna uppsats har genom kvalitativa, djupgående intervjuer med poliserundersökt vilka faktiska omständigheter som påverkar hur poliser bemötergärningspersoner i deras yrkesutövning. I studien behandlas även hur poliser serpå möjligheten att påverka gärningspersoners kriminella aktivitet. Studienredovisar att samtliga respondenter avser att bemöta gärningspersoner medrespekt, men bemötandet är till mångt och mycket beroende av hurgärningspersonen agerar gentemot poliserna. Huruvida respondenterna gavutrymme åt att reflektera kring gärningspersoners bakgrund varierade, där somligauppgav att reflektionen ges stort utrymme medan andra uppgav att de väldigtsällan funderade över gärningspersonens bakgrund och förutsättningar.Möjligheten till att påverka gärningspersoners kriminella aktivitet benämndes sombegränsad. Detta då gärningspersonen i slutändan måste fatta ett beslut om attvilja lämna den kriminella livsstilen, om så inte är fallet uppgav respondenternaatt deras möjlighet att påverka är obefintlig. / This paper has examined the actual circumstances that affect how police officerstreat offenders in their profession, through qualitative, in-depth interviews withfive police officers. The study also discusses how the police officers look at thepossibility to influence the offender’s criminal activity. The results reports that allrespondents intend to treat offenders with respect, but the treatment is very muchdependent on the perpetrators acts against the police officers. Whetherrespondents gave space to reflect on the offender’s background varied to somedegree. Though some respondents said that the reflection was given much spacewhile others said that they rarely thought about offender’s backgrounds. Theability to influence offender’s criminal activity as police officers was described asrestricted by the respondents. If the offender doesn’t want to leave the criminallifestyle, it is impossible for the police to influence the offender, according to therespondents.

The purpose of this research is to examine the acceptability of male homosexuals in law enforcement as determined by those currently employed as sworn officers in Southern California. Law enforcement has historically been reluctant to accept "outsiders" within its ranks. It has only been within the last 25 years that women and minorities have sought to enter the law enforcement profession in significant numbers, and it took legislative action and law suits to make this a reality.

The purpose of this study was to determine the various values that influence police officers within law enforcement organizations. The value systems (Tribalistic, Egocentric, Conformist, Manipulative, Sociocentric, and Existential) were based on the "Levels of Psychological Existence" developed by Clare W. Graves. A values test instrument was administered to 297 police officers. Specific hypotheses regarding value differences in law enforcement groups were tested. The results were significant in the areas of Existentialism and higher personal education; Sociocentrism and older age, male sex, detective rank group; Manipulation and younger age, male sex, officer rank group; Conformitism and longer police service, female sex, married officers; and, Tribalism and longer police service, female sex, less personal education.

The study assessed how stimuli that contradict pre-experimental histories affect the formation of new relations. The study also assessed whether social variables such as race would influence college students’ perceptions of people of different races and job types. Twenty-six college students at a Midwestern University participated in the study. During the pre-test, participants rated the degree of “Good” or “Bad” of various pictures of African American males, police officers, and random objects on a Likert-type scale. Next, based on their pre-test results, participants completed a match to sample task that paired pictures of African American males and police officers opposite of their initial perceptions. Afterward, all participants again completed the Likert-scale rating task. Pre-test results revealed that some participants demonstrated strong negative pre-experimental biases toward police officers and that the race of the participants influenced their pre-test ratings. Individual data showed that 22 out of 24 participants changed their perceptions for at least one stimulus. Match to sample and post-test results revealed that participants with strong pre-experimental biases took more trials to complete the task, scored less accurately when conditions included socially loaded stimuli, and were less likely to change mean ratings for police officers during the post-test rating scale.