Stress and Law Enforcement - Dissertation Example

?Running Head: Literature Review on Stress & Law Enforcement Literature Review on Stress & Law Enforcement [Institute’s Literature Review on Stress & Law Enforcement Brief analysis of literature has indicated that it is probably next to impossible to come up with a precise definition to define stress. If one has to talk to ten different people and inquire them to explain what stress stands for, or what is stress brought about by or what effects does stress have on one’s life, one would doubtlessly receive numerous different replies to each one of the queries. Generally, every human being has a tendency of responding to stress in a variety of diverse ways. Therefore, there is no one clarification for stress with which every person on this planet could settle with. Usually, something that is stressful to one individual might not have any or very less effect on the other one. Hence, description of stress varies from person to person (Monat & Lazaruz, 1991). Commonly, stress seems to comprise of reactions that revolve around neurology and psychology and fulfill the adaptive function (Franken, 1994). As a matter of course, multitudes of researches dealing with stress make sure to concentrate on the way one’s body reacts towards stress and the cognitive processes that apparently have an effect on the idea of stress. Many people are not aware of this but, as per the miscellaneous social aspects of the stress response, it is not necessary that stress have the same influence on every individual (Goldberger & Breznitz, 1993). As already mentioned above, stress has a numberless definition. In addition, there are a number of causes, which allow an individual to go through the ordeal of stress. Whether it is time to appear for a difficult exam, cope up with a problematic relationship, or handle different work situations, existence of stress is prevalent. Circumstances involving stress are normally painful, dangerous, and demanding. As far as it is about the definition of stress, an expert (Brehm, 1998) specifies several individuals who happen to have the same description for stress. He further pointed out that a significant perspective of stress is that there are several contradictory situations which are responsible for bringing about the stress response like tiredness, apprehension, exertion and even success to name a few (Brehm, 1998). This, in turn, gives way to handful definitions of stress and each one of them manages to bring differing property of stress under the limelight. Biopsychosocial Model of Stress (Bernard & Krupat, 1994) is by far one of the most thorough models of stress that claims that stress has three important components: an external component, an internal component and the interrelationship between the external and the internal components (Bernard & Krupat, 1994). The external component of the Biopsychosocial Model of Stress (Bernard & Krupat, 1994) assumes that stress is produced by multifarious environmental events. According to an expert, there are various psychosocial stimuli, which are not only responsible for the production of stress but also have an impact on the homeostasis of an individual’s body (Cannon, 1932). The internal component of stress lays great emphasis on the set of neurological and physiological response towards stress. A person who experiences stress for an extended period usually has to put up with three stages: “Alarm Reaction, Stage of Resistance, and Exhaustion. All these responses towards stress are collectively called General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)” (Monat & Lazaruz, 1991). The third and the last component of the Biopsychosocial Model of Stress seemingly revolve around the cognitive processes taking place in an individual. The cognitive theory of stress relates that every event has an effect on an individual’s life (Monat & Lazaruz, 1991). In 1967, psychiatrists from the University of Washington (Holmes & Rahe, 1967) conducted a research to find out whether stress plays a role in causing illnesses or not. In order to facilitate their study, they took a survey of more than 5000 medical patients and created a chart that listed out 43 major causes of stress (Holmes & Rahe, 1967). Unfortunately, the society in which we are living in today has found more than 43 reasons to introduce stress in our strenuous lifestyles and, therefore, that stress scale created in 1967 was revised in 2006 and the list of stressors was increased from 43 to 55 (Holmes & Rahe, 1967). As per the studies of different psychiatrists over the years, it seems like following are the reasons why stress still prevails in our lives and the societies we inhabit today. Moreover, even the law enforcement officers are living in the same kind of society, thus, as any other individual they too face these issues in their daily lives: 1) Financial Problems: A number of studies (Territo & Sewell, 2007) show that finances are one of the major causes of stress. Whether a person is an adolescent or an adult, one cannot keep away from financial problems. While college going students are concerned about the money for their education, senior citizens are constantly worried about their retired incomes. Furthermore, many people have to suffer from accumulation of credit card debt and for others loss of income brings about a great deal of stress. Law enforcement officers, as suggested by the researches, are not very well paid and thus, this becomes a reason of stress among them. 2) Workplace Stress: After financial issues, stress at workplace tops the literature. Apparently, everyone these days has become very ambitious. For this reason, our work and career plays an influential role in our lives and hence is responsible for the great amount of stress. Every one of us is always looking for ways to climb the next rung of the career ladder. Students, who have jobs, do not only have to worry about their performance in school but also their production at work. 3) Personal Relationships: Family, undoubtedly, is a treasure to posses. However, it also serves as a noted source of stress. Couples get divorced and children marry without their parents’ wills all the time. Heated conversations and quarrels are always brewing up between couples and siblings. In addition, the health of one’s family is also a big problem. Pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion, contraction of a dangerous disease and an ill family member- all are responsible for stress. Talking about police patrols, most of their time is spent outdoors with public of all sorts, thus when they come back home they normally have a feeling of distress that not all spouses understand. This has a great influence upon their psychological needs and thus affects their marital life. 4) Health and Safety: Many people might not agree with this but personal health indeed plays an instrumental role in the production of stress in our lives. Some individuals are stressed about their ever-growing weight, which they think they can never get rid of while others are concerned about gaining some pounds to attain a fuller body. Personal safety is also responsible for bringing about stress. Usually, women, rather than men, are a lot more worried about the safety of their own self and their closed ones. 5) Death: A long period is required for an individual to get over the grief concerned with the death of a beloved. So much so, even the death of a pet can be very stressful. Like everything else, stress also has both positive and negative effects on an individual. Whether it is time to deliver that presentation which one had been working on since the past month or the time to appear for the annual math exam, stress gives people that power and energy required to accomplish the goals. Lack of stress can, without a doubt, make most of people lazy and least determined regarding our aims. However, too much stress is not always a good thing for a human being. Chronic stress, which tends to last for a prolonged period, does not only make an individual restless and cranky but also brings forth acute physical and psychological issues. Some of them are as follows: 1) Anxiety or Depressive Disorder: As per various studies and researches (Holmes & Rahe, 1967), there is a direct connection between the intense sensation of stress and the start of a severe depression and tension in our lives. Chronic stress can jeopardize one’s life as it does not only play a role in ruining healthy relationships but is also capable of making our lives miserable, which in turn has a strong effect on our emotional well-being. 2) Heart Disease and Stroke: Like the association between stress and depression, there is also a link between chronic stress, heart disorders, and strokes. The physiological stress response does not only have adverse effects on the heart but it also affects the circulatory system by increasing the rate at which the heart pumps blood to the body and by blocking the arteries. With the course of time, this condition can result in serious physical injuries like heart attack and cardiovascular diseases to name two. 3) Weight: Analysis has confirmed that all humans are different from each other. Hence, each one of us also has different ways of handling stress. Some individuals turn to food as their only resort during times of stress while others simply lose their appetites. This situation might appear to be emotionally motivated but it can also be one of the physical responses to the induction of stress in our bodies. Various studies have proved that “cortisol; the stress hormone increases the abdominal fat” (Territo & Sewell, 2007). When this condition gets serious, many individuals experience eating disorder like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorders to survive. 4) Sleep problems: If one is having a hard time sleeping, then it is most likely stress, which is causing it. Habitually, when an individual is suffering from chronic stress and/or exhaustion, he/she usually feels agitated and nothing seems to put them at ease whether mentally and physically. Lack of sleep is directly proportional to the production of stress. So the lesser one sleeps, the more stressed one will feel that will only make the problems worse. The duty of a law enforcement officer may vary with the nature of his surroundings and national security (Territo & Sewell, 2007). If there is a local or a national threat present somewhere, they have to be on-duty being vigilant about whatever happens. Since they are there to secure the public, they are obliged to sacrifice their relaxation and nights of sleep in this regard. This, genuinely, becomes an important cause of their stress. 5) Concentration and Memory: Chronic and acute stress also affects one’s concentration and memory in a negative manner. As per the numerous studies and researches, people suffering from stress start having a bad memory and stress keeps them from concentrating on small details, which can result in road accidents and bad performance at both work and school. The above-mentioned causes do not merely relate to individuals generally but they are discussed since those have an important part to play in a law enforcement officer’s life. It is significant to be familiar with the strenuous lifestyle of law enforcement officers first in order to comprehend the stress they have to go through everyday and its horrible effects on their precious lives. A law enforcement officer’s job is undoubtedly very rewarding. However, this job is also highly demanding and challenging. There is absolutely a great difference in being a law enforcement officer and wanting to become one. Once a man enters this field, he just cannot avert his eyes from the horde of responsibilities he has to face on a daily basis. As a law enforcement officer, it would not only be one’s life in danger but also valued relationships with closed and beloved ones as one will hardly get any spare time for relaxation and recreation. Therefore, unfortunately, if an officer belongs to the lot of married people, he/she will have to be very careful about maintaining relationship with the spouse (Territo & Sewell, 2007). Law enforcement officers do not only have a very tough and hectic schedule but also a work shift that is very hard to manage. Human beings can never be nocturnal no matter how hard they try. Human bodies tend to stay active and alert during the daytime and at rest during night. In particular, 3 am is the time when bodies start losing their normal temperature and start restoring the energy they have lost during the entire course of the day. This is why people feel tired and sleepy. Sadly, once a person becomes a law enforcement officer, peaceful nights turn into busy days as it is during the darkness when the job will have the maximum expectations from the officer. Weekends, especially Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights are usually the most arduous and risky for law enforcement officers as it is during these times when drunkards are kicked out from bars, which just adds to their never-ending responsibilities. Moreover, law enforcement officers also have to deal with firing, stabbing, rapes, robberies, burglaries, etc amid these odd hours (Territo & Sewell, 2007). Being on duty and overcoming tiredness during these burdensome days might make officers regret their decisions of becoming a law enforcement officer but one will have to deal with it anyway. Analysis has indicated that being a law enforcement officer, the days officers get off from work will have an association with the Police Department the officer is affiliated with and the nature of work there. Nevertheless, the holidays that will be bestowed with will be ‘just enough’ to breathe a new life into disturbed self and make feel like old good self again before it is time to get back to exhausting work routine again. Besides all these complications, a law enforcement officer also has to consider the people he socializes with. An individual in this field will many a times have to cut ties with people who were once his close friends. In addition, if the officer has lately become a law enforcement officer, he/she will notice that many of friends might start staying away solely because of the profession and they might start behaving in a peculiar manner in officer’s presence. According to an eminent author (Miller, 2006), these law enforcement officers or ‘tough guys’ are more than often vulnerable to dreadful occurrences and routinely burdens for which they do not only need to adopt a strong and a watchful attitude but also an effective disposition and training. If they do not possess these qualities, they will most likely fail at their jobs. Sometimes though, the stress just gets too much for them to endure and that is when their tough approach towards their profession makes it all the more difficult for them, and they start looking for help for their own poor selves (Miller, 2006). Upon reviewing the literature, it is also notable that usually, individuals involved in this field do not only have the greatest suicide rate but also a very high divorce rate. In addition, these officers are probably the heaviest problem drinkers present in a nation. Dismally, all these facts serve as warning signals regarding the multifarious problems existing in the society for which, no such measures are considered. Most of the researchers (Constant, 1991) make use of three key indexes of stress while conducting studies on different groups of people that include rates of “suicide, divorce, and alcoholism” (Constant, 1991). Work of a law enforcement officer is excessively stressful beyond a doubt. This is why one of the leading researchers of stress worldwide has described duties of a police as the most distressing work in America (Constant, 1991). One study in Detroit demonstrated that the most influential factor, which contributed the most towards police suicide, was disagreement in marriages. As per the studies conducted in New York, generally most of the police officers are completely drunk when they commit suicide. Thus, the three key indexes aforementioned are interlinked in the life of a law enforcement officer. It is not necessary for stress to be always distinguishable in a police officer’s life. Acute stressors like anxiety after shooting are easily discerned because of the high emotional strain they carry. However, chronic stress (which is hardly ever obvious) also has a great effect on the lives of these police officers. Chronic stress is the kind of stress, which seemingly affects people in two ways. Firstly, it is responsible for making people return to earlier ways of doing the things they did. Therefore, not only the physical growth of people, with chronic stress, suffers but they also grow immature and childish. Many cops, while in their duties, reach to the maximum level of frustration after continuous interaction with a multitude of people that usually turn to argumentation (Territo & Sewell, 2007). Secondly, chronic stress deadens the ability of individuals to respond towards different stimuli. Actually, this serves as defense mechanism for the minds of the people who cannot help working in traumatic conditions. For this reason, police officers are usually very insensitive and hurting others hardly every upsets them. Overall, law enforcement officers have a right to live properly and enjoy their lives to the fullest. For this reason, we as a society should look for ways that can put an end to their torturous work routines. One fact that every law enforcement officer, around the globe, should acknowledge is that police work can never exist without stress. Thus, instead of trying to stop the induction of stress in a police officer’s life (which will be absolutely of no use), it is a way better option for the officials to figure it out and offer their assistance to the officers in three domains. First of, help should be provided to individual officers (Territo & Sewell, 2007). Next, concern should be shown regarding officers’ married lives; if they are not leading a happy married life then officials ought to do something about that as well. Lastly, higher officials should look for ways that can lessen the initiation of stress in a police organization. As far as the individual officers are concerned, they can be helped directly in a number of ways. It is highly suggested that every large police department should appoint a psychologist and a chaplain for making things easier for the officers working for them (Territo & Sewell, 2007). These efforts will make an officer realize that people having higher posts than them do realize their issues and are trying to help as well. Moreover, higher officials should also make sure to provide every law enforcement officer with good insurance plans so that they can afford getting counseling from the outside if they desire to. Another important aspect here is confidentiality- nobody in the police organization should know whether an officer has sought help from a counselor no matter what the circumstances are. Furthermore, it is important for every official and supervisor to be acquainted with the symptoms and effects of job stress. They should also receive proactive training, which will facilitate them in getting rid of stress whenever they will face it. In addition, whenever an official suffers from stress, he should be provided with influenceable counseling and training like biofeedback (Miller, 2006). In order to overcome the problem of isolation in a law enforcement officer’s work, department organizations can do wonders by promoting and encouraging community recreational activities. If an officer wishes to be a coach or a referee in a federation, then he should be motivated and supported. In this regard, analysis of literature review has indicated that family life of law enforcement officers can greatly improve if spouses are invited to the orientation seminars (Territo & Sewell, 2007). This way, they will learn about the weight of responsibilities that their better half has to carry which in turn will give them a better understand regarding the nature of work their partner is associated with. Without a question, law enforcement officers are enduring a whole lot of stress, which is slowly making the community suffer as it receiving less service by the day. It is very important for all kinds of stress prevalent in a police officer’s life to be recognized and sorted out. By controlling officer stress, not only a number of lives will be protected but also a lot of marriages and jobs can be saved. References Bernard, L. C., & Krupat, E. (1994). Health Psychology: Biopsychosocial Factors in Health and Illness. Harcourt Brace College Publishers. Brehm, B. A. (1998). Stress Management: Increasing Your Stress Resistance. Longman. Cannon, W. B. (1932). The Wisdom of the Body. Norton. Constant, T. (1991). “Not So Obvious Police Stress”. Retrieved on September 17, 2011: www.tearsofacop.com/police/articles Franken, R. E. (1994). Human Motivation, third edition. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Goldberger, L. & Breznitz, S. (1993). Handbook of Stress: Theoretical and Clinical Aspects. The Free Press Holmes, T. & Rahe, R. (1967). "The Social Readjustment Rating Scale". Journal of Psychosomatic Research. Volume 11, Issue 2, pp.213-218. Miller, L. (2006). “Law Enforcement Traumatic Stress: Clinical Syndromes and Intervention Strategies”. Retrieved on September 17, 2011: www.ncjrs.gov Monat, A. & Lazaruz, R. S. (1991). Stress and Coping. Columbia University Press. Territo, L. & Sewell, J. D. (2007). Stress Management in Law Enforcement. Carolina Academic Press. Read More