Dogmatism and social control: Some personality characteristics of police officers

1974 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Cochran
Author(s):  
Hope Hutchins

In the context of increasing familiarity with mainstream superhero comics and their characters, a wide range of readers are being exposed to the values regarding gender and social control being communicated in this genre. Therefore, it is important to assess whether social control is signified differently for males and females in superhero comics. This presentation will begin with a discussion of why it is important to study comics and graphic novels. I will then outline the concept of social control and criminological theories centered on this idea before demonstrating why superheroes may be understood as agents of social control. This will bring me to a discussion of preliminary findings of a qualitative content analysis of issues of Batman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Ms Marvel, Justice League of America, and New Avengers comics released from May to October 2007. In examining the leadership positions, the formal and informal methods employed, those over whom social control is exercised, and relative success of each superhero in these issues, I am seeking to assess whether social control is portrayed as being exercised by male and female superheroes in different ways and to identify how this happens. The results of this content analysis will be compared with previous studies of women police officers to assess whether representations of female agents of social control in superhero comics are consistent with the experiences of real‐life criminal justice practitioners. Finally, the reasons for and implications of the nature of such media constructions will be briefly explored to encourage other students to study comics and graphic novels.


1975 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 695-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Cochran

A concern for understanding patterns of social control in contemporary society led to the development of an attitude scale measuring preferences for Hierarchical Control ( ns = 473, 510). The scale distinguished situations where decisions were associated with those having power or authority from situations where decisions were made by people most affected by the decision, regardless of status. Statistical characteristics of the 34-item forced-choice questionnaire included (1) moderately high item-total score correlations, (2) a wide distribution of scores, and (3) reliabilities of approximately .80. The scale did not duplicate the I-E Scale, Dogmatism, or the control subscales of FIRO-B, not was it significantly related to social desirability. Data from police officers, army enlisted men, and teachers with differing educational approaches supported the validity of the scale.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Владислав Петров ◽  
Vladislav Petrov ◽  
Яна Онкамо ◽  
Yana Onkamo

The article is devoted to comparative analysis of the personal characteristics of military personnel. In the psychological study involved 283 people, including soldiers of the permanent composition of the Military University, students of the Military University (military personnel of the defense Ministry), members of Regardie. Testing was conducted using the California psychological inventory based on the automated workplace of the military psychologist. Statistically significant differences (between different categories of military personnel, police officers) for the different scales of the questionnaire identified relevant performance standards. The results allow to improve the technology of study of the individual officers at different stages of service.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liudmyla Piankivska ◽  
◽  
Ihor Pampura ◽  

The article is devoted to the issues of a relationship between the specific professional environment and individual personality characteristics of police officers. The findings of the empirical study enabled to demonstrate the relationship type between an individual profile of an officer and a working capacity. It was proved that specific characteristics of policeman’s official activities provoke specific personality changes, predetermining difficulties when becoming an expert and negatively affect the formation of a functional system of his body, personality characteristics and behavioral response, and lead to a reduction in a working capacity, effectiveness and quality of the tasks accomplished. Primarily, the article is focused on the analysis, comparison, systematization and integration of data, obtained as a result of psychodiagnostic testing of personality characteristics and functionality of police officers. Applicability of the empirical study is predetermined by a demand for the comprehensive maintenance of all officer’s health characteristics; by taking into account the relationship between officer’s personality characteristics and the effectiveness of accomplishing professional tasks; by identifying significant indicators in order to timely detect and successfully prevent stresses, conflicts and other risk factors, which constantly go along with their professional activities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Richards

How police understand youth offending at least partly informs their responses to it. It is therefore vital to document police implicit theories about youth offending. However, little previous research has examined this topic. This article addresses this gap by examining police implicit theories about youth crime and how it ought to be addressed. Using social control theory as an analytic framework, it critically examines 41 semi-structured qualitative interviews with police undertaken for a larger study in Queensland, Australia. A number of implications stem from the analysis, not the least of which is the disjuncture between police implicit theories of youth offending, and the localised, historicised and contextual realities of young people’s – especially marginalised young people’s – offending behaviour.


2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Soule ◽  
Christian Davenport

Most scholars of social movements agree that since the 1960s protest policing in the United States has decreased in severity. Yet this characterization runs counter to sociolegal arguments that virtually all forms of state social control have become more forceful. We maintain that both of these arguments obfuscate what is really of essence to policing of protest: the character of the protest event and the level of threat posed to police. We examine U.S. protest policing over the 1960-1990 period and show that while it is generally true that aggressive policing is less likely following the 1960s, threatening protests are always policed aggressively, regardless of the period. The findings suggest that general claims about the increasing or decreasing severity of policing over time are less useful than are arguments about the character of the protest event and the level of threat posed to police officers.


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