NCJ Number
85429
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: (1981) Pages: 69-75
Date Published
1981
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This research administered a personality test to a sample of police officers to reveal six distinct personality profiles.
Abstract
The research sample included 142 U.S. State police recruits in training, 52 State police recruits who did not complete training, 59 U.S. municipal police candidates who were accepted and 27 who were rejected, 36 U.S. municipal police recruits in training, and 50 British police recruits in training. There were 366 complete test protocols for the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. Data were subjected to a modal profile analysis. Stage one of the analysis identified preliminary types within each of the subsamples. Stage two examined the replicability of these types across the two samples, and stage three then classified the sample according to the replicated types. The six replicated profiles included (1) persons motivated to succeed in a rigid organization and be in command positions; (2) persons with low self-confidence perhaps seeking a career in law enforcement to bolster their self-image; (3) persons motivated to help others; (4) persons attracted by the glamour and risks of a career in law enforcement; (5) persons less secure than those in profile 4 who seek glamour and risk in a law enforcement career; and (6) potential bureaucrats with high needs for order, dominance, endurance, and aggression and low needs for affiliation, nurturance, and change. Future research should explore whether these six profiles are replicable and whether they have any implications for other aspects of police behavior. Tabular data and eight references are provided.