NCJ Number
197091
Date Published
2002
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Peer counselors in a police agency discuss the various factors related to how an officer copes with stressful circumstances and associated emotions and behavior, as well as treatment resistance.
Abstract
All of the counselors identified the "fight-or-flight" response as a universal physiological and psychological response to stress. The "fight-or-flight" response can be delayed, controlled, and avoided, but it is the basic reaction to all stress and trauma that is genetically coded into humans. Developmental factors that constitute variables related to the management of stress include personality development and the characteristics that remain after parenting and exposure to life's experiences during maturation. It includes as a subset those learned abilities or dysfunctions individuals possess and exhibit when confronted with stress. General sources of ineffective responses to stress were cited by the peer counselors in many forms. These included too great a need to be in control of oneself, an inability or lack of willingness to talk about personal issues, overreaction due to acute or chronic problems, and childhood and upbringing. A few developmental factors identified in the literature that the interviewed peer counselors did not mention were spiritual faith as a learned or nurtured coping source, training in stress management, a flexible world view, and the capacity to adjust expectations to real-world circumstances. Although the peer counselors interviewed did not view resistance to treatment as a significant problem, for officers who do resist intervention, confidentiality concerns were cited as the most common reason. Appended "Traumatization Potentiality Factors Summary"