Emotional Strategies of Police and Their Varying Consequences for Burnout

Abstract

It has been widely noted that policing is a stressful occupation, leading to a host of adverse outcomes. Many have posited that, in part, this can be explained by the emotional demands imposed on officers as a consequence of their unique role, organization, and culture. Consistent with this premise, a number of studies have found support for the notion that emotive dissonance is particularly likely to contribute to burnout. However, no studies have previously assessed how the complex emotional demands and strategies exercised within policing produce benefits and consequences for officers. Specifically, how do requirements to express coercion or apologize influence officer burnout? How do requirements to express or suppress positive or negative emotion influence burnout? And, do these effects vary depending upon whether greater surface or deep acting is required? The present study suggests that while some aspects of emotive dissonance may be negatively consequential, other emotional demands and strategies used by officers may have advantages. Specifically, while coercion in particular seems to increase depersonalization, both surface acting and attempts to deeply experience required positive emotions actually serve to decrease burnout among officers. The implications of these findings for theory, research, and the prevention of burnout among police are discussed.

Austerity Policing, Emotional Labour and the Boundaries of Police Work: An Ethnography of a Police Force Control Room in England

“…The response to emergency 999 calls by call handlers and dispatchers entailed deep acting (regulation of feelings) in which they were willing to expend emotional energy when the incident aligned with what they believed to be the role of the police. This was particularly the case when there was a satisfactory outcome, evidencing the ends-orientated nature of policing (Schaible and Six 2015). It also entailed surface acting (manipulation of expression) via the adoption of a calm and/or neutral demeanour in emergency call handling.…”

“…The response to emergency 999 calls by call handlers and dispatchers entailed deep acting in which they were willing to regulate their internal feelings and expend emotional energy when it matched what they believed to be the role of the police. This was especially so when there was a satisfactory outcome, evidencing the ends-orientated nature of policing (Schaible and Six 2015).…”

“…This can have positive emotional effects when officers are able to display genuine empathy during the course of their duties, but negative effects when having to suppress negative emotions and conduct surface acting. The ends-orientated nature of policing means that the ability to display a range of emotions is not always a liability but an asset for officers in order to achieve the objectives of each situation (Schaible and Six 2015). In their study of homicide detectives, Hawk and Dabney (2014) demonstrate how officers prioritised cases based on their typification of the 'true victim'.…”

Burnout y calidad de vida profesional en policías de Lima Metropolitana

“…De manera similar, la disminución de la autoestima, irritabilidad, depresión, impotencia y ansiedad que experimenta el colaborador emocionalmente agotado, puede originar aislamiento social e incapacidad de abandonar el rol profesional fuera del ámbito laboral (Hogarth, 2017). Adicionalmente, el estado permanente de emociones negativas (agresividad, ira y frustración) que adoptan los policías cuando ejercen coerción sobre los criminales, incrementa la despersonalización deteriorando la motivación intrínseca (Schaible & Six, 2016). Por lo tanto, un mayor nivel de emociones negativas y un menor nivel de emociones positivas, inducen a que los agentes de la policía se sientan menos involucrados con su trabajo, originando el desinterés por el cumplimiento de sus funciones (Basinska et al, 2014).…”

“…Por lo cual, a partir de estos resultados, se infiere que los factores de carácter organizativo tales como: la falta de soporte emocional de los directivos a los colaboradores de la institución, la inequidad en las oportunidades de ascenso y la insatisfacción con la remuneración incrementan la fatiga emocional y falta de interés por su trabajo (Grimaldo, 2010;Sánchez et al, 2001), genera emociones contradictorias en el efectivo policial, debido a que por las demandas emocionales, es decir no expresar sus emociones, impuestas en el cumplimiento de su rol organizacional y cultural de protección a la sociedad, se incrementa al agotamiento emocional. A su vez, las demandas de su rol organizacional de mantener la estabilidad y control en las situaciones de emergencia, se oponen a la expresión de sus emociones frente a episodios traumáticos aumentando su nivel de despersonalización (Schaible & Six ,2016).…”