Police Work and Stress Essay

try on is f argonwell of every peoples life. No question what occupation one is practicing and whatever lifestyle an individual is accustomed to, punctuate is of all time involved. In particular, integrity of nature officeholders embrace hear as part of their transaction. The moment they decided to become a practice of law officer, bearing with melodic phrase has become inevitable. For one, their main goal, to save people who be in riskiness and to protect them from harm, is accentuateful. In effect, they become exposed to danger themselves and face this universe as part of a patrol officers transaction.They argon alike non all(a)owed to any kind of violation because they atomic number 18 the ones who oblige it. When it comes to natural law control, latent hostility is expected more than than the regular or reasonable theorises. It is effrontery than this profession always put legal philosophy officers life at risk. render comes from different sources a nd comes in various forms. at that place argon direct and indirect factors that imply the involvement of ex fly the coop in the law profession. It affects non only the life of the constabulary officer but also the life of the people inside and extinctside the organizationtheir family, the organization, and their cause life and personal identity.Occupational s antiophthalmic factorle is derived from what rank a jurisprudence officer holds in the organization. natural law officers deal with every kind of power and alarming assignments each day of their lives. However, since they pledged an oath to fulfill their barter to the best of their abilities, they are non persuasion much virtually judge and instruction on their service instead. at that place are times when police officers encounter personal troubles which have a damaging implication on them. This time, it flocknot be accepted as a normal part of their duty because it is already outside the profession.Dealing with family matter affects police officers lose their focus and fails to do their job properly. On the other hand, their family also experience punctuate because of the kind of job. Being in the said profession also requires police officers to be available at all times. The acidifying chronicle also causes them stress because of rotating shifts and unexpected call of duty. Aside from the aforementioned causes, this paper aims to flip over into police- colligate stress, what causes it, what are the effects, and how it affects their obligations in the field of law enforcement. Defining Stress and StressorsStress is a disorder that affects an individuals motivation (Crane, 1996). It bring about pressure not only physically but also mentally. There are deuce types of stress according to Crane (1996) in his platter entitled Psychology of Stress. The first stress type is known as distress. This type of stress is relentless which r antiophthalmic factor ups one not capable of allo wance (Crane, 1996). Distress washbowl cause mental disorders, depression, and anxiety if not disposed(p) proper resolution (Crane, 1996). Another type of stress is the eustress. This stress is accrued through experiences that cause positive reaction.Unlike distress, this type of stress can improve the function of physical and psychological aspects of an individual through cookery and work (Crane, 1996). Stress occurs when one experiences pressure and demands which are not congenial to his/her major power to every physically or mentally deal with the situation (Leiter & Masslach, 1988). Conflicts, painful events, limitations, struggles, and lack of control are the commonality causes of stress (Leiter & Masslach, 1988). It affects the overall functioning of the individual, rendering him or her incapable of thinking and acting normally.It can also cause certain disorders including hypertension, ulcer, insomnia, anxiety attack, and some another(prenominal) more. Stress d eteriorates the individuals over-all wellness depending on how the person copes with it (Violanti, 1996). Hence, stress generally affects lives as it modifies the efficacy, mental functioning and behavior of individuals in fulfilling their images, regardless of the kind of profession that they have (Violanti, 1996). Stressors pertain to the primary causes of stress. They could be an immediate superior, a family member, an event, or a profession (Shirom, 1989).Coping up with stress comes in two ways reduction or avoidance. A person may either face the situation to put an end to the stress (reduction) or make some sort of escape to experience immediate relief (avoidance) (Shirom, 1989). Everyday, many stressors are faced by individuals that make or break them as a person. Absence of stress is impossible because everyday, new challenges and changes are go through by everyone. The best way to deal with stress is by head with it. Thus, it is always better to confront the situation rat her than avoiding it (Shirom, 1989). use StressAs individuals become adults and start working, they have to deal with professional accountability. Work is required to support every need and want in life. closely of the time spent by professionals is in their workplaces where they encounter work stress in different forms each day. Usually, stressful situations spring from pressures and demands in their job which are beyond their knowledge and contentedness, or from fears and anxieties in accomplishing their deputes. Some of the professions which greatly involve stress due to the nature of job include a fireman, a doctor, and a police officer, among others (Lee & Ashforth, 1996).Stress can be positive and negative for the worker depending on the response of the individual him- or herself and the circumstances. A positive kind of stress normally makes the worker more motivated and focused in accomplishing their duties and responsibilities. On the other hand, negative stress ma y occur when there are unexpected events that can make them lose composure which, in effect, become detrimental to their effect (Lee & Ashforth, 1996). guard Stress Basically, police stress is the kind of stress undergo in the law enforcement community.This is brought about by direct and indirect factors that are incorporated the nature of the job and the organizational structure of the law enforcement community. As police officers are mainly responsible for protecting and serving the golf-club and its people, they are required to be physically, emotionally, and psychologically prepared at all times because they are expected to be always available. In addition, they are expected to keep an active presence of mind and make just decisions especially during crucial situations such as criminal encounters and hostage takings.Because of these expectations, police officers experience stress twice of the stress endured by other professionals. The work environment of the law enforcem ent officers has a great impact on the employees and the employees level of work, including their work productivity and their general physical and emotional health (Kurke, 1995). There is a notion that a cyclic alliance persists amid work and home life of police officers from which police stress develops (Kurke, 1995). Stressors in the police work not only affect the police officer but their family as well.It is likely that police stress negatively affects their relationship with others and their personal lives. For instance, most police officers experience marital problems because of the effects of the stressful events of their day which they unintentionally bring home with them. This gives rise to their involvement in various problematic domestic issues such as violence, alcoholism, substance abuse, and youngster neglect (Brief et. al, 1981). When police stress is rampant in the law enforcement community, it affects the performance of the police officers and at the equivalent time, it puts everyone in the society at risk.Police stress is a social issue that should not be taken for granted because it affects these individuals who chose to pursue this highly important profession that constitutes the maintenance of stay of order of the society. Causes of Police Stress Many sources of police stress can be found inside the police organization. The job itself and the people at heart the law enforcement community cause police stress. The characteristic of the profession is intimately difficult to look at. Being a police officer requires dedication and commitment to put their lives at risk while they are on duty.They are also expected to comply with the given work schedule and special assignments. There are encounters which will cause trauma to police officers. Yet, they only receive despicable compensation (Leiter & Maslach, 1988). There are also times when lack communication among administrators, poor supervision and unretentive training cause police officers to feel tonic. Another source of police stress comes from the officers themselves because they often doubt their capacity to perform a given task.There are also issues regarding favoritism and politics within the law enforcement community that discourages a police officer to carry out a given assignment (Leiter & Maslach, 1988). The following sections present the most common organizational stressors in the work of a police officer, along with other direct and indirect factors that cause police stress. Direct Factors Job Characteristics The profession itself causes stress to police officers. Fear and danger make police officers live on from stress. They always need to set aside their doubts, gather their courage in every dangerous situation that they get into.Physical danger is always at hand because they should be ready to battle against unexpected criminals (Kurke, 1995). sufficiency and Control Perception of adequacy and control also causes police stress. The abili ty of a police officer to work on a job is based on his/her perception the skills that he/she possesses, and whether his/her skills are adequate to eff all the assigned task given to him/her, and. Hence, to meet the demands of the job, law enforcement officers should be well-driven. They should also have the necessary composure and confidence.When police officers doubt their capacity to serve, it definitely instigates stress (Axelbend & Vaile, 1979) Control is defined as the ability of police officers to govern on special assignments. This is because as police officers, they are expected to control every situation that they get into. When a police officer lacks the necessary control to carry out an assigned task because he/she is hindered or manipulated by others, it brings out stress and at the same time leaves the case unsolved (Tenerowicz, 1993) Role Ambiguity Role ambiguity also results in stress among police officers.This usually happens when they lack the necessary knowle dge in fulfilling their roles and at the same time control the conditions of the work outcomes (Lee & Ashforth, 1996). When this occurs, police officers feel accentuate as they are not yet prepared for the job. Role ambiguity is caused by a lite organizational structure and it hinders the police officer from performing his/her task. Most cases of role ambiguity is experienced by those who are in the administrative state of affairs because their functions are not clear to them. At the same time, they are not aware of up to what extent is their jurisdiction on their job (Shore, & Shore, 1995).This becomes a source of stress because it makes police officers doubtful of their capacity to serve. They tend to question themselves if they are able to perform well because they themselves are not aware of the position given to them. They are afraid of not universe respected by their subordinates which gives them a feeling of insecurity. Work Schedule Police officers are expected to work based on a shift key schedule, rotating shifts, irregular days off, holiday work, unexpected overtime and involuntary overtime (Kurke, 1995).This kind of schedule apparently affects their work performance because they are not getting enough sleep and energy. It also causes their moods to change and develop negative feelings. In the end, police officers experience stress and end up with poor performance (Kurke, 1995). Special Assignments There are special tasks given to police officers which in turn are greatly prized (Kurke, 1995). However, certain assignments require more focus and demand greater pressure from the police officer. There are special assignments which are needed to be completed at a given time frame.As a result, police officers become stressed because they are expected to finish the said task as shortly as possible. It also involves longer hours of training and longer working hours that wear out them from their families. Because of depression and frustration when an assigned task is not completed accordingly, stress is developed (Kurke, 1995, p. 191). Role Conflict According to Kurk (1995), many officers report difficulties related to the many demands inherent in law enforcement (p. 191). Role conflict usually happens when police officers need to execute two roles with different conflicting demands or values.One example of this is when a police officer catches delinquent teens in the community only to discover that one of those caught is his/her son. This puts the police officer in a conflicting situation because he/she is faced with the demand of clutch the suspect but at the same time he/she of necessity to protect his/her son (Lee & Ashforth, 1996). Family of Police Officers Another cause of stress for police officers comes from their families. They always harbor feelings of fear and danger when they are out of their homes for duty.It develops stress to police officers because they are thinking of their families while they are on duty. This will make them lose focus and may end up not completing the assigned task. There are also instances when family cause are set aside because of special assignments. This makes police officers more stressed because they develop sadness of not being able to participate in an important family occasion. When a family member gets sick, it is also hard for the police officers to squeeze on their jobs because they are preoccupied with family problems.