NCJ Number
99021
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 13 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1985) Pages: 201-210
Date Published
1985
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study analyzes data generated from the psychological batteries done on 173 police applicants at the Plainfield Consultation Center (New Jersey) from 1982 to 1983 and draws implications for police selection and strategies for addressing police occupational stress.
Abstract
The collected data pertain to average IQ; percentile rankings on the California Test of Personality with respect to personal adjustment, social adjustment, and total adjustment scores; mean scores on the Manson Evaluation; and the average score on the Police Aptitude Test. The Manson Evaluation identifies people whose behavior and personality structure indicate existing or potential problems with alcohol abuse. The Police Aptitude Test assesses an applicant's ability to rate and prioritize appropriate responses in various police situations. The candidates approximated the general population on intelligence. Measures of personality adjustment demonstrated better than average abilities in both personal and social adjustment. Overall, the police applicants demonstrated less proneness to emotional disturbance and alcohol abuse than the general population. These data suggest a hypothesis that the debilitating effects of stress among police officers are not due to preemployment emotional disturbance or personality maladjustment but rather to the stressful working conditions of policing. Should this hypothesis be confirmed, it would indicate the need for police agencies to examine ways to both reduce and manage stress in policing. Twenty-four references are listed.