Theorists, as far back as Sigmund Freud, have studied human personality and the changes that a person goes through from birth to adulthood. Since then, trait theorists have studied specific aspects of personality that are relatively enduring and can describe the way a person behaves, feels, and interacts with the environment. In 1937, Gordon All port described personality traits as belonging to one of three categories. Cardinal traits were those that dominated a person’s life and often were named after people who lived their lives in a particular way, such as Christ-like or Machiavellian. Central traits, such as intelligence, shyness, and introversion, were used to describe an individual’s personality. Secondary traits described a person’s reactions and behaviors under certain circumstances, such as anxiety that emerges under test-taking conditions. Gordon Allport originally identified approximately 4,000 traits to describe people. Later, in the 1940s, Raymond Cattell reduced Allport’s list to 16 major personality traits, and in the 1950s, Hans Eysenck reduced the list to three. More contemporary personality theorists ascribe to five major categories of personality traits—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism (i.e., emotional stability). Debates continue as to the number of traits and what they are. Regardless of the number of traits, personality tests, which identify personality traits, continue to be used to assess an individual’s psychopathology, IQ, leadership characteristics, and relationship attributes. These tests have been used in schools, mental health facilities, and employment areas to examine traits that assess and predict academic, emotional, and job performance capabilities.
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Get Help Now!In 1967, the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice recommended a combined use of psychological tests and interviews to determine whether a candidate possesses the traits most suitable for police work. By the early 1970s, the most commonly used personality test for police officer applicants was the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Since then, police department psychological screenings have incorporated the California Personality Inventory, Inwald Personality Inventory, and a series of other personality tests to determine the best-qualified individual for police work, and to predict successful police performance. Psychology professionals continue to be tasked with measuring traits that would screen out unsuitable police officer candidates as well as measure traits that would make a police officer suitable for a specialized service such as undercover work or hostage negotiation.
a comparison (similarities and differences) between the psychological characteristics of successful and unsuccessful police officers. Then, explain any conclusions drawn or insights gained because of this comparison
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According to Hooke & Krauss (1971), “The group of successful candidates, however, seems better suited for leadership and disciplinary roles than their matched controls.” Hooke & Krauss (1971) studied the personalities of successful candidates in terms of promotion to sergeant. They also observed (Hooke & Krauss, 1971) that, “successful sergeant candidates tend to depend more upon themselves, appear more self confident, are more sensitive in interpersonal relationships, and are more outgoing and genial than the patrolmen.” While we term patrolmen as community or beat officers nowadays, it appears that their observations are also applicable to successful police officers in general (being that successful police officers tend to also go up the promotion ladder quicker). Kapardis (2009) meanwhile wrote that successful police officers are skilled and exhibit expertise in the following, “directing orders, interpersonal skills, perception, decision-making, decisiveness, adaptability oral communication and written examination.” It is easy enough to link these skill clusters to the role of police …
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