Police stress Essay

Introduction melodic line is a psychological factor and a common feature of almost every multifariousness of execute. But it is important to note that it was scarce in the mid-70s that industrial psychologists cogitate their attention on the magnificence of direction in the oeuvre. To serve and nurse, is the truth enforcers motto as he controls to accomplish the goals of his chisel which is mainly to provide protection to the citizens of his state. in that location accompanies with the prune the miscellany of mountain whose umbrageous and dark characters pursue the primary purposes in life which argon to grant a crime and try out ways to evade the prospicient ramification of the law.In policing school, show is not underestimated however rather an important and vital aspect of the job (it goes with the territory, so to speak) try comes in different throws. It is a given then, that law of nature execute is pictured as a form of service where the ch every las t(predicate)enges are not the same as the regular kind of job more so when the mortal is in active come in or duty and expected to meet the most difficult types of experiences but usually on a regular basis. It is this scenario that this paper explores and presents to the reader the nuances of the job, the provees a police voicer regularly encounters, possible consequences on his personal and dental plate life, as well as probable interventions.Signifi faecesce of the study cardinal reasons are suggested why there was a growing recognition of the importance of speech pattern on the job. First, there is the general awareness that separate out-related complaints harbor reached pestilential proportions. More population die or are disabled nowadays as a result of focal point than at any other time. Because song is so strong-armly damaging and pervasive in the great unwasheds lives and because it is primarily psychological in nature the discipline of psychological scien ce as a whole and especially the specialty area of wellness psychology is interested in studying and treating stress and other psych unmatchableurotic disorders (Chang et al. 2006).The second reason for the growing awareness of the importance of stress at work is practical. The effects of stress on the job are dear(p) and are reflected in a start out productive efficiency. punctuate has been cognize to reduce drastically employee motivation and the sensual might to perform the problem well thus, increasing absenteeism, turnover, and tardiness (Cahill 2003 Chang et al. 2006 Williams 2003).Statement of the ProblemWhat is stress at work and how is this demonstrated in a particular somebody worker want the police get throughiceholder? What has personality trait or individual differences do with the development of stress as well as how do hoi polloi cope with stress when the descent is the place of work? This paper attempts to define, withdraw and explain the nature of stre ss, factors that contribute to the development of stress in an individual, and in particular what job stress or stress in the workplace poop do to an individual.Discussion The Nature of judgeInside the tree trunk, striking physiologic changes take place under stress. Adrenalin, released from the adrenal glands, speeds up all bodily hunts. Blood pressure rises, heart rate increases, and extra dough is released to the bloodstream. The increased circulation of the blood brings additional energy to the brain and muscles, making us more alert and stronger sp that we substructure cope with the sudden emergency (Landy 1985).A stressful situation mobilizes and directs unmatcheds energy beyond its model take aim. But if a person remains in that state of charged energy for too long, the bodys reservoir of energy depart dissipate. Rest is needed to replenish the energy supply (Williams 2003).Prolonged stress leads to psychosomatic disorders. Remember that psychosomatic diseases are not imaginary. They are received and involve specific tissue and organ damage even though their cause is psychological. In prolonged stress, the body whitethorn suffer physiological damage and the person may become ill (Landy 1985).A. Individual Differences in Vulnerability to puree angiotensin converting enzyme factor that affects picture to stress on the job is genial support, ones ne iirk of social and family ties. The person who is alone physically and psychologically is more vulnerable to stress than someone who has strong social relationships. complaisant support on the job is managewise important to reduce stress and to have better health (Cahill 2003 Chang et al., 2006 Landy 1985 Williams 2003). aces physical condition also relates to ones vulnerability to stress effects. Persons in better physical condition suffer less(prenominal) effects of stress than those in poor physical condition (Cahill 2003 Landy 1985 Williams 2003). aim of ability to perform a job tail assembly unsex people more or less resistant to the stresses of that job. Employees with a proud level of the skills needed for the job finds the work easier and less stressful than employees with a lower ability (Landy 1985 Williams 2003). Personality seems to be related to ones ability to tolerate stress. This is particularly apparent with those of apparent with those of reference A and Type B personalities and their susceptibility to heart disease, one of the major effects of stress (Landy 1985).The Type A personality is highly prone to heart disease by middle age, independent of physical factors or their type of work. The two primary characteristics of a Type A personality are a very high competitive drive and a constant gumption of urgency about time. Type A personalities are hostile people although they successfully hide it from others. That is why Type A personalities are everlastingly in a state if tension and stress (Landy 1985 Williams, 2003).Persons with the Type B pe rsonality never have heart attacks before the age of 70, no matter of their jobs or their eating and smoking habits. Type B people may be just as ambitious as Type A people, but they have none of their characteristics. They function under far less stress in all aspects of life including work (Landy 1985).B. Stress at workThere are occupations that are considered very stressful. The by-line xii are those that engender highest levels of stress law enforcer, labourer, secretary, inspector, clinical lab technician, office manager, first-line supervisor, manager or administrator, waiter or waitress, machine operator, farm worker, miner, painter. This is taken from the National Institute for occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Other occupations considered to be in high stress are the fire fighters, computer syllabusmer, dental assistant, electrician, fire fighter, social worker, telephone operator, and hairdresser (Landy 1985).Survey is also assemble that among working women, th e most stressful jobs are in the health manage industry. For example, nurses, medical, dental, and lab technicians and social workers (Cahill 2001).Psychologists renamed the concept of overwork into the term overload and have identified two types1. quantitative overload2. Qualitative overloadQuantitative overload is the condition of having too much work to do in the time available. Qualitative overload involves not so much work to do but work that is too difficult (Landy 1985 Williams 2003). Another stress factor in the workplace is change. Many changes occur in the workplace. The design of a new work procedure may require employees to envision and adapt to different production methods (Landy 1985 Williams 2003).Performance appraisal is a source of stress for a great many people. Few people like the idea of being evaluated whether at school or work. An employees reference in the organization faeces be a source of stress. billet ambiguity arises when the employees work role is p oorly structured and ill-defined. Role mesh arises when there is a disparity among the demands of a job and the employees, personal standard and values (Landy 1985 Williams 2003).Problems of career development may lead to stress at work. Stress can arise when an employee fails to receive an anticipated promotion (Landy 1985 Williams 2003). being responsible for other people is a major source of difficulty for some supervisors and managers (Landy 985). Contact with a stress carrier is also a cause of stress. A person free of stress can be infected by someone who is highly stressed (Landy 1985). Assembly-line work has been associated with stress because it is characterized by repetition and monotony (Landy 1985).Overall, then, each person mustiness present and deal with a large and recurring number of stress-producing events everyday both(prenominal) at home and at work. Although most people experience at least some of the bruising effects of stress at one time or another, most people, fortunately, do manage to cope (Landy 1985 Williams 2003). One effect of stress on the job resulting from overwork is called burnout. The employee becomes less bustling and less interested in the job. He or she becomes turned on(p)ly exhausted, apathetic, depressed, irritable, and bored finds fault with everything about the work (Cahill 2003 Chang et al, 2006 Landy 1985 Williams 2003).Figure 1.0National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Model of Job Stress(Source NIOSH, http//www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html)Burnout develops in common chord distinct stages1. Emotional exhaustion, with a feeling of being drained and exculpate (Cahill 2003 Landy 1985 Williams 2003).2. Cynicism and the lack of sensitivity toward others (Cahill 2003 Landy 1985 Williams 2003).3. Futility, the feeling that all the effort put frontward previously was wasted and worthless (Cahill 2003 Landy 1985 Williams 2003).Employees with burnout become rigid about their work, following rules and p rocedures blindly and compulsively because they are too exhausted to be malleable or consider alternative solutions to a problem (Landy 1985 Williams 2003). There is a price to pay for such overwork over a long period of time. Stress accumulates and leads to the psychological and physiological ailments described earlier. These people work so hard that they burn away their energy faster than the body can replace it. Such persons have been described as workaholics, or employees addicted to work (Cahill 2003 Landy 1985 Williams 2003).Nature and Dangers of Police WorkStudies done by Malloy and Mays (p 177 1984) point to the importance of understanding the kind of job that policing involves. The authors not only examined the stress levels within the workplace but a comparative study was made as well with the amount of stress experienced by law enforcement officers and other workers in other organizations or institutions particularly in government entities. The findings show that few job s can equal the kind of stress that police work entails fire fighters may come close though the frequency of negative or distressful events or occurrences become a regular fare for law enforcers contributing to the overall danger and flagellum to their personal well-being.Reports of suicide or attempted suicide have reportedly been high despite increasing awareness to the stresses of the job (Brown 2008). Symptoms may be there already but the few people close to the person refuse to recognize or identify the signs. These imply irritability, lowered devolve on drive, digestive upsets, fatigue, muscle aches like backaches, insomnia or restlessness, overeating or crapulence too much, muscle tics or rashes, a pounding heart, headaches and light-headedness may be evident on the individual. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or mental health issues can be some of the effects when prolonged stress is experienced and may even affect the immune brasss ability to protect the persons body from everyday illnesses.Because an officer regularly deals with stress and anguish experienced by people they meet on the job, emotions can easily be bottled up, or set aside and compromise ones health or in many instances, affect the officers ability to deal with the issues and problems in his own personal and family life. Studies self-management skills program for the police officers show that there is a great difference when police officers go through programs that help them understand the emotional upheavals that go with the job. There was the reduction of signs and symptoms of imminent distress or physical and psychological manifestations of stress (McCraty et al 1999). Other techniques specifically used in other studies make use of films as tools to help debrief these individuals (Mann 1973 p 63).C. Interventions and organizational techniquesThe techniques for transaction with stress on the job involved both the prevention of stress and its reduction and elimination. Technique s that individual employees can practice on and off the job include relaxation training, biofeedback, and behavior modification. Some methods provided by organization include altering the organizational climate, providing employee assistance programs and treating victims of stress-related illnesses (Cahill, 2003 Landy, 1985 Williams, 2003).Industrial/organizational psychologists have proposed some(prenominal) organizational techniques for managing stress at work especially with police work1. Emotional Climate Control. Because of the stressors of modern organizational life is change, the organization must provide sufficient support to enable employees to adapt to change. This can be accomplished by providing a climate of esteem and regard for employees and by allowing them to participate in all decisions involving change in their work and in the structure of the organization (Chang et al. 2006 Landy 1985 Williams 2003).2. render of social support. Social support can reduce ones vul nerability to stress. Organizations can enhance social support by facilitating the cohesiveness of work groups and by training the supervisors to be supportive of their subordinates (Landy 1985 Williams 2003).3. Redefinition of employee roles. To reduce the stress caused by role ambiguity, managers must intelligibly state to their subordinates what is expected of them and what the precise scope and responsibilities of their jobs are (Landy 1985 Williams 2003).4. Elimination of work overload and work underload. Proper selection and training, equitable promotion decisions and uninfected distribution of work can do much to eliminate these causes of stress.5. Provision of assistance to stressed employees. More and more organizations today are recognizing the harmful effects that stress can have on employee health and productivity. As a result, they are providing in-house counseling programs that teach individual stress-control techniques and supplying facilities for physical exercise (Landy 1985 Williams 2003).Some stress is necessary for normal surgical process. The nervous organization apparently needs a certain amount of stimulation to function properly. But stress that is too intense or prolonged can have destructive physiological and psychological effects. The actions of autonomic nervous system that prepare the organism for emergency can, if prolonged lead to such physical disorders as ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Severe stress can also impair the organisms immune responses, decreasing its ability to fight off invading bacteria and viruses. It is estimated that more than half of all medical problems are believed to be related to emotional stress. Psychosomatic disorders such as allergies, migraine, headaches, high blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers and even acne are among the illnesses that are related to emotional stress (Hilgard, et al., 1983).ConclusionFrustrations occur when progress toward a goal is barricade or delayed and whe n two motives conflict, satisfaction of one leads to the blocking of the other. For as long as a human individual is alive and functioning in whatever milieu he is in, these forces are at work, a great deal straining and draining him. Coping and defense strategies oftentimes become natural but later become debilitating for most if no time-consuming controlled and regulated. The severity of stress depends on the situations predictability, the potential for control, the individuals cognitive evaluation, his feelings of competency, and the presence of social supports (Halonen and Santrock, 1996).Works CitedAtkinson, R.L., R.C. Atkinson, E.E. Smith, D.J. Bem, and S. Nolen-Hoeksema, Introduction to Psychology, thirteenth ed. (1993). New York Harcourt College Publishers.Brown, Hal. Introduction to Police Stress. Accessed February 27, 2008 Cahill, C. A. 2001. Women and stress. In Annual Review of breast feeding Research, 19, 229-249.Chang, E. M., Daly, J., Hancock, K.M., Bidewell, J. W. , Johnson, A., Lambert, V. A., & Lambert, C. E. 2006. The Relationships Among Workplace Stressors, Coping Methods, Demographic Characteristics, and Health in Australian Nurses. ledger of Professional Nursing, 22(1), 30-38.Landy, F.J. 1985. Psychology of Work Behavior. 3rd Ed. Dorsey Press.Malloy, Thomas E., G. Larry Mays. The Police Stress Hypothesis A critical evaluation. 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