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Causes of stress in the field of policing
Explain the factors responsible for police stress
Causes of stress in the field of policing
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The concept of stress is something every individual deals with throughout their lives. This stress that everyone deals with can come from a variety of different causes and reasons. Some jobs are just naturally stressful. Those jobs might have more responsibilities, rules, regulations and scrutiny that come with them. Police work is generally regarded as one of the most stressful jobs an individual can have. What makes police work that much more stressful than that of other jobs? Does the stress that police have on a daily basis affect that their families as well? Over time there have been many ways provided to ensure that police officers can better cope with all the stress that they incur on the job. Stress is defined as anything that places …show more content…
Those types of stress are eustress and distress. Eustress is a positive form of stress while distress is a harmful form of stress. When a police officer gets too much of distress, then that is when this type of stress can start to affect their personal and professional lives. Police officers are notoriously known for having levels of stress due to the effects of the job. On average police officers have one of the highest rates of suicide in the nation, the second highest rate of divorce and are twice as likely to develop an alcohol problem as any other profession. There are several stressors that police have deal with everyday that ultimately affects their personal and professional lives. There are several sources of stress that police deal with. One of those sources is that police officers are constantly exposed to other police officers and civilians that are enduring high levels of stress themselves. In many cases this everyday …show more content…
In many instances police officers bring the effects of the job homes with them. This form of stress affecting the police officer’s personal life can be seen in the officer overworking and over committing. The officer will bring the job home with him or her and neglect his or her spouse and the kids. This neglect of affection and communication that the officer has towards his/her spouse puts a lot of stress on the family. An officer that has truly been overcome with stress will neglect the family and in many cases start to neglect the other daily tasks of the house. (Miller, 2007) Another way that police stress can affect the officer’s personal life is through infidelity, lies and distrust. Police are generally required to work many of hours in their work week and this unfortunately can lead to infidelity, lies and distrust in the officer’s personal life. When the infidelity, lies and distrust happen in a relationship, this not only affects the relationship and stress of the family but also affects the stress that the officer then takes back in to work.(Miller,
Gilmartin, K. M. Emotional survival for law enforcement, a guide for officers and their families. 1st ed. Arizona: E-S Press, 2002.
Working in corrections has been associated with higher stress rates due to the unpredictable nature of the field (Parker, 2006). Correctional officers are forced into dangerous situations without adequate protection as a result of the prison environment, which can further lead to physi...
the psychological health of police, fire, and ambulance officers.” International Journal of Stress Management, Vol. 11, pp. 227-44.
Officers involved in the study released in 2011 (JAMA) were found to have increased cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and obesity. Other medical conditions included chronic fatigue and as well as sleep apnea. These officers also have increased stress from the family dynamic where there is strain from the shift work in the officers...
Police officers have a significant level of discretion when ethical decision making is incorporated in deciding how to respond to a domestic violence call. For example, officers exercise discretion by deciding how to respond to domestic violence when a situation involves a fellow officer. America is a country in which many believe in privacy within the household and often choose not to be involved in a domestic dispute because families should resolve their own problems. However, discretionary powers abused by an officer are used to dissuade the victim from filing charges against the officer’s colleague. Officers often do not choose to arrest in a domestic dispute because they believe the family, not the justice system, should resolve the problem. If the police officer abuses his discretionary power by persuading the victim to not file charges, then he is going against community policing. This is because, he is not serving the interests of the community, but rather the code of silence within a police department. This discretion is exercised even more when the domestic violence situation involves an off duty police officer. When police officers commit domestic violence against their spouse it is usually explained by the fact that police officers deal with difficult citizens on a daily basis on the streets and as a result of the high levels of stress on the job bring their frustrations home and spouse becomes the scapegoat for his feelings (Wetendorf, 1998:3).
Every job has its ups and downs, but it just happened to be that we, as human beings, tend to drag our work problems with us to our personal life. Knowing how to separate work from personal life is hard, especially in today’s society considering the technology we have today. This research made me aware of the stress and everyday interactions that probation officers endure and I must admit, is more stressful than I thought. I have always imagined a probation officer’s job much more facile not having such a huge caseload, but like they say, ignorance is bliss. In the following essay, I will be discussing the findings about the stress of a probation officer.
Police stress is viewed as a structural problem that is amongst the police culture (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). The argument made is that the working environment causes the stress. Even though a police officers job is not as dangerous officers still determine the danger as a source of stress. Police stress can be split up in to three sources: occupation, job-related and external stress (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Just the thought of the job gives officers stress. Job-related circumstances such as responding to calls can also create stress. Finally, external sources such as personal stress can all lead to an officer being highly
Some of the world’s most-loved and well-known superheroes include Superman, Batman, and Spiderman. However great these superheroes may appear, their fictional stories also include stressors that they face everyday, such as the villains that they encounter and the pressure of being a hero and an everyday citizen. In this way, stress often negatively impacts the lives of the ones who watch over every neighborhood, every street, and every house. Such is the job of a police officer. Because stress has become an important topic in the community of law enforcement, things that are commonly discussed are the causes of stress, the effects of stress, and the handling of stress in the lives of police officers.
For my research project I decided to do it on domestic violence. Domestic violence can be described as a violent or aggressive behavior within the home, typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or partner. Domestic violence can happen on the street, in one’s home or even in a public place. The people who are exposed to domestic violence can be children, men and women; women are usually the ones that suffer from domestic violence from their loved ones. There are plenty of subtopics to choose from that involves domestic violence, the sub topic that interested me the most was Police Officers that are involved in Domestic Violence acts. I chose to do my research topic on domestic violence because I want to learn more about the topic and who does it all effect and if someone is exposed to domestic violence could it harm them is some sort of way. Domestic violence among police officers happen more than usual and happens more compared to domestic violence in non-police officer families. The reason for this is because I believe it is all of the stress that police officers have on the job and what they have to deal with involving murders, rapist and all of the psychological problems they deal with on a daily basis on the job which causes the offices to drink and do drugs to get the mental pictures out of their heads of deaths and that can cause police officers to commit these domestic violence acts. When police officers are involved in domestic violence acts, what happens to them and can they get away with the assault compared to non-police officers just because they are a police officer?
Stress can be defined in two forms, Eustress and Distress. Eustress is a positive form of stress for the human body, it motivates and helps the body to focus on the task at hand. Distress on the other hand, is a negative form of stress and can cause anxiety, decreases performance, and makes it difficult for one to be motivated.
"Stress is a natural physical and mental reaction to both good and bad experiences which can be beneficial to your health and safety." (8 Ways Stress Is More Dangerous Than You Think) Everyone 's body responds to stress by releasing hormones, also, you brain receives more oxygen. Stress starts to occur when we become worried about a task or responsibilities we face. Major stress is called chronic stress. It can cause symptoms that can affect your health in a larger way. Some people may say that they succeed more under stress, but sadly, that’s rarely the case. Research has shown that "stress makes a person more likely to make mistakes" (Stress Symptoms, Signs, & Causes). For most people, stress is extremely normal for them that they don 't see it as anything but ordinary. However, stress can motivate someone while under pressure and even get you through a tough or dangerous
Law enforcement personnel put their lives at risk every day, they see horrific crimes, and endure tragedies. Faced with significant pressures and continuous anxieties, emotions in officers may build up and lead to harmful behaviors if not dealt with properly (Maslach 1979). Warning signs of destructive behaviors for police officers include, unexpected changes in behavior, erratic work habits, increased sick days for trivial ailments, scattered thoughts, and excessive worrying (Territo, Vetter, 1981). These warning signs may lead to substance abuse and suicide (Territo, Vetter, 1981). “Police department officials have reported informally that as many as 25 percent of the officers in their respective departments have serious alcohol problems (Territo, Vetter, 1981).” According to Blackmore (1987) 10 percent of police officers have drug problems. Substance abuse not only affects the officer, but also directly affects their family. The effects of substance abuse on offspring were studied in an experiment, which concluded that all of the children of the respective parents had higher rates of conduct disorder and depression (Merikangas, Dierker, & Szatmari, 1998). Being addicted to any substance that alters a person’s state of mind, behavior or mood influences children negatively. As a child, seeing a parent dependent on drugs or alcohol displays a false pathway in life and may increase the child’s likelihood to become addicted to alcohol or drugs later on in their life. Not only is addiction a bad influence, it also causes distance in family relationships. A mother and father are portrayed as role models and caregivers, therefore it is important for a law enforcement officer to not only protect the community but also his or her own
... special individuals and have some of the same qualities of the military personnel. Officers are often asked to do a stressful job for average or below average pay. Communication is also important for officers to have, to be able to relate to the modern citizens and fellow officers. Judgment is also important for officers to have, and it is something that comes as your career prolongs as an officer. Stress is also an issue that citizens deal with on an everyday basis. But police officers have an added pressure on their families and themselves. Police work can be a tiring job, and the ability to make it through the strain of their work is necessary for not only their health, but to be able to pass physical tests required at their agency. Therefore, your personality and how you handle stress and lead, will help you make the transition from civilian to police officer.
A police officer’s duty is to maintain public order, preventing, and detecting crime. The concept of police officers, also known as cops, and law enforcement has been around ever since the ancient Romans had a theory that an organization of “peacekeepers” would reduce the crime and violence being committed. This theory stuck with society and is still around today. People of law enforcement have a mission when they step into their police car, that mission is to enforce the rules of conduct or law. Of course, accomplishing this mission can be dangerous. Often when a cop leaves his or her house to go to work worries start to set it, such as “will I be coming back home when my day is over” or “will a simple traffic stop go sour and someone ends up dead?” These thoughts are apart of the stress that comes with the job and most people are trained to deal with this stress.
Stress is the combination of psychological, physiological, and behavioral reactions that people have in response to events that threaten or challenge them. Stress can be good or bad. Sometimes, stress is helpful, providing people with the extra energy or alertness they need. Stress could give a runner the edge he or she needs to persevere in a marathon, for example. This good kind of stress is called eustress. Unfortunately, stress is often not helpful and can even be harmful when not managed effectively. Stress could make a salesperson buckle under the pressure while trying to make a sales pitch at an important business meeting, for example. Moreover, stress can increase the risk of developing health problems, such as cardiovascular disease and anxiety disorders. This bad kind of stress is called distress, the kind of stress that people usually are referring to when they use the word stress.