STRESS MANAGEMENT

Stress Management

Abstract

What is it that causes us to become startled when we experience an unexpected occurrence or a threat to our well-being? We have all experienced the feelings associated with this fear. The pounding heart, the rapid breathing, the dry mouth, sweating and trembling are just a few of the obvious effects. We accept the fact that these are unavoidable by-products, but do we truly understand what is happening and why? As police officers in today's society, we will find ourselves experiencing these feelings more often than most people. Research and studies indicate that police officers exposed to those sudden, intense and sometimes life threatening situations, encountered during the line of duty, can cause uncontrollable changes to the body. These changes may affect physiological, sensory and cognitive processes that may prevent timely responses in very serious situations, thus causing tactical implications during critical decision making processes. Medical studies also indicate that prolonged or frequent occurrences of this stimulation (stress) could subject an officer to future mental and physical health issues, if not addressed.

Outline

Chapter I: Introduction

Overview of the Issue

Overview of the Paper

Thesis Statement

Chapter II: Issue

Chapter III: Literature Review

Theoretical literature

Empirical literature

Summary

Chapter IV: Recommendations

Chapter V: Conclusion

Chapter VI: Assessment of This Research Paper

Chapter I: Introduction

Overview of the Issue

This issue needs to concern more than just the officer. Police agencies, supervisors and trainers must realize the impact of Survival Stress has on officer survivability and make this issue a working part of their training.

Overview of the Paper

This paper will address the issues and effects of Survival Stress on the job performance of police officer. This paper examines the influence of officers' and supervisors' attitudes and priorities toward community policing and problem solving over the time officers spend conducting problem-solving activities.

Thesis Statement

Stress can affect police officers work performance and overall health due to the lack of effective stress coping mechanism

Chapter II: Issue

Suicide of employees is increasingly becoming a problem in police and security organizations. It is therefore imperative that research be conducted regarding suicidal behavior. Furthermore, managers should become aware of possible causes of suicidal behavior. In South Africa, members of the police service are challenged by various potential stressors, such as a high crime level, organizational transformation and a lack of resources. Not surprisingly, increased rates of illness, post-traumatic stress, burnout, alcohol abuse and suicides, and decreased levels of job satisfaction and job performance, as compared to norms for the general population, are found in research with police members. Police suicides have shown a consistent increase over the past two decades and according to Violanti (1995), there are a few possible precursors and correlates of police suicide. The immediate availability of firearms, continuous exposure to death and injury, social strain resulting from shift-work, a general lack of social support and the negative public image of police officers have been suggested as possible stressors and reasons for police suicide. A study on police suicide conducted in 1995 indicated that South African Police Service (SAPS) officers were 11 times more likely to commit suicide than the ...