Utilizing the field theory/group dynamics approach from social psychology, a cross-sectional correlational analysis of the relationship between police perceptions of the cohesiveness of their work groups and indices of stress frequency and intensity was conducted with a sample of 289 police officers from the St. Petersburg, Florida Police Department. Respondents ranged in age from 19 to 54 years with a mean age of 32.75 years. The mean educational level was 13.6 years and the mean length of service was 8.76 years. Approximately eighty-five percent (84.8%) of the respondents were white and the remaining 15.2% were black, hispanic, or oriental. Two hundred sixty-five (91.7%) of the officers were male and 24 (8.3%) were female. / Five substantive hypotheses were tested to assess the impact of job specialization, shift assignment, length of service, and area worked on group cohesion; and whether or not cohesive group membership intensified or reduced the strain effects of job stress. / The Likert scaling technique was utilized to construct indices of cohesiveness and stress (frequency and intensity). The data was analyzed at the five percent significance level utilizing Pearson's product moment correlational technique. / The study failed to support the proposition that cohesion among St. Petersburg Police Officers varies with job specialization; however, cohesion was observed to vary with shift assignment, area worked, and length of service when the combined effects of age and specialization, age and area worked, and age and race were controlled. Limited support was also found for the proposition that both the intensity and the frequency of job stress decrease as the cohesiveness of work groups increase. / The significance of the study lies in its practical and research implications. On a practical level, the study alerts police administrators to the potential benefit of reduced stress and anxiety resulting from cohesive group behavior among police officers. From a research perspective, the study provides an opportunity for retrospective evaluation of the utility and effectiveness of the field theory/group dynamics approach to the study of police behavior; and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Likert scaling technique for operationalizing and measuring police stress and cohesion. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-05, Section: A, page: 1535. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75327 |
| Contributors | DAVIS, GOLIATH JOHN, III., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 240 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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