Weak links and warrior hearts: a framework for judging self andothersin police training

Abstract

This paper examines professional socialization within a metropolitan police academy in the USA. Specifically, the research documents how the normative orders of the occupational culture come to function as a framework used to either stigmatize or idealize fellow recruits. A series of narratives regarding and reactions to particular events in the training serve as examples that detail the manner by which recruits internalize the occupational culture as they evolve through the training. The paper also discusses how recruits are eventually able to utilize their burgeoning understanding of normative orders to discredit police administrators and the training structure itself. IntroductionThis research seeks to understand the cultural transmission of outdated notions within policing. The paper presents an ethnographic analysis of narratives and group reactions that develop over the course of police academy training. It focuses on both formal and informal structures within the training environment that promote traditional notions of masculinity and police work, within an incoming cohort of recruits. Specifically, the analysis is geared to generate insight into how particular characteristics come to be either stigmatized or idealized within the occupation.

Factors that Influence the Decision to Seek Help in a Police Population

“…The culturally valued practice of emotional control also emerged as a major barrier, delaying or preventing access to psychological services. While often necessary and beneficial in the moment during a police response, emotional suppression is identified in the empirical literature as potentially harmful to overall psychological wellbeing [6,8,25]. In this study, it hindered the decision to access psychological services.…”

“…Strong allegiance to the police culture and to colleagues can give rise to an "us/them" perception and potential isolation from family and friends [7]. The need to belong and be accepted can be critical to officer safety [8]. The paramilitary structure promotes conformity and unit integrity.…”

“…The paramilitary structure promotes conformity and unit integrity. Lack of conformity can lead to stigmatization and ostracization from the group that often becomes the officers' primary support system [6][7][8]. As characteristics of the "ideal" officer include mental toughness, those indicating a need for psychological interventions may fear being ostracized from their group, the very group that they rely upon for their safety.…”

“…The target sample population was 70% men and 30% women. We amended the participant group to include greater representation of women's experiences, resulting in a gender composition of 60% (12) men and 40% (8) women in this study.…”

Stories of Policing: The Role of Storytelling in Police Students’ Sensemaking of Early Work-Based Experiences

“…Van Maanen (1973) described war stories as succinct stories that by analogy demonstrate, explain or clarify occupation-specific lessons. Other works that exemplify the connection between storytelling and learning include Ford (2003), who suggests that stories and parables told in the context of police training transmit values and cultural beliefs from more-experienced officers to students, and Conti (2011) and McNulty (1994) who discuss how storytelling functions as an informal curriculum and as 'previews' of practice in police training.…”