NCJ Number
32048
Journal
POLICE LAW QUARTERLY Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: (JANUARY 1976) Pages: 5-27
Date Published
1976
Length
23 pages
Annotation
AFTER REVIEWING THE POPULAR STEREOTYPES OF THE POLICE MENTALITY OR POLICE SUBCULTURE, THE AUTHOR PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF A POLICE ATTITUDES ANALYSIS UNDERTAKEN DURING A SERIES OF POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS WORKSHOPS.
Abstract
THE AUTHOR'S PRIMARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO DISCOVER HOW POLICE, AS OPERANTS, WOULD STRUCTURE THE COMPONENTS OF THE TYPICAL POLICE MENTALITY EXPLANATIONS. POLICEMEN ATTENDING THE WORKSHOPS WERE ASKED TO RANK ORDER A SET OF STATEMENTS (THE Q SORT) THAT WERE RELEVANT TO THE SUBSTANCE OF THE WORKSHOPS, USING A PRE- AND POST- TEST ARRANGEMENT. THE STATEMENTS REFLECTED POLICE ATTITUDES ON MORALITY, SELF IMAGE, EXPLANATIONS OF DEVIANCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND PRIORITIES. THE PATTERNS OF RESPONSE TO THE Q STATEMENTS WERE INTERCORRELATED BEFORE AND AFTER EACH WORKSHOP. FINDINGS ARE PRESENTED FOR BOTH THE FIRST AND SECOND WORKSHOP. IN THE FIRST WORKSHOP, FOUR TYPES OF RESPONDENTS WERE DETERMINED THROUGH THE USE OF Q FACTOR ANALYSIS. THE FACTORS SUGGESTED THE FOLLOWING LABELS: SOCIAL SCIENCE REFORMERS, THE ANOMIC MAN, THE OLD-TIME MORALIST, AND THE MODERN PROFESSIONAL. AT THE BEGINING OF THE SECOND WORKSHOP, THERE WERE THREE CLUSTERS OF RESPONDENTS AS A RESULT OF THE Q SORTING: HEALTHY CYNICS, ANGRY RESPONDENTS, AND IDEALISTS. EACH OF THE ATTITUDE TYPES DISCOVERED BY THE Q FACTOR ANALYSIS IS DISCUSSED.