STRESS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

Stress and Law Enforcement

Stress and Law Enforcement

Abstract

In this study we try to explore stress among the law enforcement officers, how it affects their lives and how they deal with it. This paper also discusses the post traumatic stress and its symptoms as it has been found out to be most common among the law enforcers. This paper proposes various techniques for overcoming stress and its causes.

Outline

The paper follows the following outline:

Abstract

Introduction

Discussion

Posttraumatic stress

Conclusion

Introduction

Stress could be understood as:

A response to the perceived threat, change or challenges

A physical or psychological response to internal or external demands

Almost everyone has to deal with stress in their daily life as living without stress is impossible. While nearly everyone looks at the negative aspects of stress, the reality is that it could be termed as positive because it motivates us, challenges us and helps us to change, when the change is necessary (even if we do not want change). Overcoming stress strengthens our personality, as it enables us to experience feelings of competence, strength and euphoria. (Goolkasian 2006)

Stress could take many forms:

Treble (short life).

Chronic (that is experienced over a long period of time).

Cumulative (from a variety of sources in a given period of time).

Delayed (buried within us for a while and comes back to life later).

Discussion

Stress generates a series of psychological and physical changes that affect depending on the level and type of stress that occurs. These changes are involuntary, which means that they are reactions that our bodies cannot naturally control initially. (Ellison 2004)

Post-traumatic stress (PTSD) is defined as a type of stress in incidents that are or are perceived to be, hazardous to life and could cause death or serious injury. The person who finds this type of stress might not be precisely afraid of what has threatened his life (Miller 2006). An example of this could be witnessing a critical incident. By their nature, PE is the worst kind of stress that a person could find, since it involves a threat to the survival of the individual. Examples of these situations are:

Natural disasters.

Serious Accidents.

Grave Accidents in which the subject is to blame.

Threats to life by another person.

A threat to life caused by the betrayal of someone you trust.

PTSD is a serious problem in examining the field and plays an important in intervening in crises and emergencies. Unfortunately, it has not been given the importance it deserved, as it has always been closely associated to performance and welfare of those affected. (Stevens 2007) Police and emergency personnel are often routinely exposed to traumatic events and daily pressures that require a strong defensive attitude adjustment, temperament and training. If these situations are not resolved, the work cannot be performed effectively. However, sometimes the stress is so high that even the day to day easy life operations become difficult to be performed. The police are often faced with subjects of the worst kind, brutal murderers, and individuals who have committed ...