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Concept of Police Personality Paper

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Running Head: Concept of Police Personality Paper

Concept of Police Personality Paper
John, Doe
CJA/333
June 10, 2012
Instructor

This paper is a position paper on the concept of police personality. The paper focuses on unique traits versus socialization and experience. In this paper, I select one viewpoint and explain why it makes the most sense to me.
According to Twersky-Glasner (2005), kinds of people who apply for jobs as a police officer may have specific personality traits, such as authoritarianism, distrust, aggression, and self-doubt. These types of traits police agencies do not want to hire. However, they may not be able to avoid such hires because personality traits might develop through socialization and experience.
A person who has the authoritarianism trait may have a huge influence on people. Along with that, an individual with the authoritarianism trait may also have the ability to take charge in circumstances that call for a firm, and self-confident, person to take over. However, this type of officer may not know when to stop being controlling.
Individuals who have distrust traits may have disbelief, and mistrust issues when they encounters a person. Police officers with this kind of personality trait may experience negative effects on their career. One negative effect of the distrust trait is an officer might obtain quick readiness to fire a weapon, or behave with misuse of force.
Some applicants display the aggression trait. People with this trait use hostility, or demonstrate a lack of kindness towards certain ethnic groups. Aggression may be a result of types of environments people grow up in. What is more, hostility may be caused by family problems, alcoholism and drug abuse.
Self-doubt is a trait a person have when they lack confidence. An officer’s job could be affected by this trait. When there is a lack of self-confidence, an officer’s life could be put in danger. For example, a suspect may see signs of an officer with insecurity, and have less respect for the officer's authority. This could lead to a fist fight, or worst. Along with that, other officers may not trust working with an officer with a trait of self-doubt. According to Dantzker, M. L., and McCoy, J. H. (2003), personality traits are developed when officers have socialization and experience of policing.
From the viewpoint of socialization and experience, police obtain socialization and experience personalities from training. Officers are affiliated with a subculture which gives them a working personality that is taught by the force. What is more, they get it because they are exposed to stresses of the work, and the shared experiences of others.
In conclusion, the concept of police personality traits makes more sense from the viewpoint of socialization, and experience. I believe that most applicants for police work may have a unique personality trait. However, I think their unique traits are heighten from training, and work environments.

References
M. L. Dantzker and J. H. McCoy (2003), Psychological screening of police recruits: A Texas perspective, Retrieved June 23, 2012, From https://springerlink3.metapress.com/content/v458p8l26wqph202/resource-secured/?target=fulltext.pdf&sid=y4vm1a4xjkp110hnmac3dorq&sh=www.springerlink.com
Twersky-Glasner (2005), ACJS Today: “Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences”, Retrieved June 25, 2012, From http://www.acjs.org/pubs/uploads/ACJSToday_October2009.pdf

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