The psychological effects of police work : a psychodynamic approach /

This book adopts a psychodynamic approach to explore the motivations, anxieties, psychological defenses, and resultant behavior of male police officers in urban settings. The author provides a theoretical overview of the psychodynamic approach to human behavior and discusses the concept of ambivalen...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Bonifacio, Philip
Corporate Author: SpringerLink (Online service)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: New York : Plenum Press, [1991]
Series:Criminal justice and public safety.
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Description
Summary:This book adopts a psychodynamic approach to explore the motivations, anxieties, psychological defenses, and resultant behavior of male police officers in urban settings. The author provides a theoretical overview of the psychodynamic approach to human behavior and discusses the concept of ambivalence -- the simultaneous feeling of love and hate -- that exists between the policeman and the public, the police department, his family and friends, and his fellow officers. A core section of the book examines the policeman's love and hatred for his job. Other chapters detail how policemen cope with ambivalence; outline the role of defense mechanisms as coping devices; and explore the issues of police stress, the police personality, myths of the "dumb cop," police corruption, and police brutality. The book concludes with a discussion of the problems of police officer alcohol abuse, suicide, marital difficulties, trauma, and line-of-duty injuries followed by proposals for addressing the pervasive influence of ambivalence on policemen; these proposals are addressed to the public, the police department, the officer's family and friends, fellow police officers, and the individual officer.
Physical Description:1 online resource (xx, 224 pages)
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-219) and index.
ISBN:9781489906007 (electronic bk.)
1489906002 (electronic bk.)