Yakimova Z.V. —
Professional stress of police officers: an associative experiment
// Psychologist. – 2023. – ¹ 4.
– P. 1 - 20.
DOI: 10.25136/2409-8701.2023.4.43515
URL: https://en.e-notabene.ru/psp/article_43515.html
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Abstract: The object of the study is professional stress in the activities of Russian police officers.
The subject of the study is the clarification of the concept of "professional stress" in the minds of police officers through an associative experiment.
The purpose of the study: a comparative analysis of the severity of the categories of analysis of the concept of "professional stress" of Russian police officers of different generations.
Research methods and empirical sampling - an expert method; an associative experiment conducted on a sample of 140 Russian police officers (70 people are 3-4-year cadets and 5th-year students of an educational organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and 70 people are active police officers with more than 5 years of experience in the internal affairs bodies).
Main conclusions:
As a result of a free associative experiment on the phrase-stimulus "Professional stress", 541 associations were obtained.
As a result of the expert method (expert design), 7 categories of analysis were identified that form the structure of the semantic field of the concept under study. The students revealed the predominance of the cognitive aspect (identification of the causes and consequences of occupational stress), and the older police officers revealed a focus mainly on the psychophysiological aspect (states and experiences) of occupational stress. At the same time, the older generation, unlike the youth, has a wider range of ways to manage professional stress and shows the existential aspect of professional stress (loss of meaning, awareness of the impossibility of change and unrealization).
In the semantic field of the concept of "professional stress", non-organizational aspects have been identified that are not directly related to work, but affect the increase in professional stress and reduce labor efficiency.
Yakimova Z.V. —
Professional Stress in Law Enforcement: Foreign and Domestic Research Experience
// Psychologist. – 2023. – ¹ 1.
– P. 32 - 50.
DOI: 10.25136/2409-8701.2023.1.39851
URL: https://en.e-notabene.ru/psp/article_39851.html
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Abstract: The object of the study is professional stress, which is understood as a particular variant of the general adaptation syndrome, which is a functional state associated with the performance of professional activity, expressed in mental and physical reactions to stressful work situations that arise under the influence of emotionally negative and extreme factors. The subject of the study is the categories of professional stress analysis of Russian police officers. The purpose of the study is a comparative analysis of the experience of foreign and domestic studies of professional stress in law enforcement; identification of categories of analysis of professional stress on a sample of Russian police officers. In the empirical part, a content analysis of respondents' responses to a subjective description of professional stress situations is carried out. The main conclusions of the study are:
1. The topic of professional stress in the activities of law enforcement agencies has received quite a lot of attention in both foreign and domestic studies, but they are of a private detailed nature, comprehensive studies, there is no integration of results.
2. The efforts of foreign researchers are aimed at developing trainings and training programs for coping with stress and rehabilitation of both active and retired officers. Domestic researchers propose to introduce stress resistance trainings already in the process of training cadets and undergoing initial police training, which is quite appropriate. For current employees, domestic researchers suggest using general psychological tools for psychocorrection of stress, but it should be adapted to the specifics of the professional activities of police officers.
3. The conducted content analysis of Russian police officers' perceptions of professional situations that cause stress revealed 8 key units of analysis: competencies; work parameters; social interaction; working conditions and organization; threat to personal safety; imbalance; dissatisfaction; personal fears and worries. The high role of personal subjective perception of professional stress situations is illustrated.
4. Promising directions for further research of the topic are highlighted
Yakimova Z.V. —
Aggressive symptom complex (aggression, aggressiveness, and aggressive behavior) in professional activity of the police officers
// Psychologist. – 2021. – ¹ 6.
– P. 12 - 27.
DOI: 10.25136/2409-8701.2021.6.37101
URL: https://en.e-notabene.ru/psp/article_37101.html
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Abstract: The subject of this research is the aggressive symptom complex of police officers, which implies a totality of indicators that characterize psycho-emotional state of a person (state of aggression), key characterological traits of personality (aggressiveness as an integral quality of personality), and behavioral patterns (a habit to use elements of aggressive behavior in a particular situation). The object of this research is the level of legitimate use of aggression in professional activities of the police officers. The goal lies in determination of factors that contribute to facilitation and inhibition of the legitimate level of aggression in professional activities of the police officers. Special attention is given to interpretation of aggression as an individual basis, aggressiveness as a personal basis, and aggressive behavior as a subject-activity basis within the structure of human psyche. The individual manifestations of aggressive symptom complex is viewed on the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral levels. The empirical part of the article analyzes the interrelation between the behavioral strategy chosen in a conflict situation, level of communicative aggression, and level of communicative tolerance of the police officers, taking into account gender and age factors. It is established that 85% of the police employees (regardless of gender and age) consciously choose peaceful and nonaggressive strategies to settle the conflict situation, and only 15% prefer aggressive strategy of rivalry. However, the attempt to “restrain oneself” leads to accumulation of psychoemotional tension, which provokes the experience of pleasure from bursts of spontaneous and reflected aggression, and subsequently sense of guilt and a proclivity for auto-aggression. The likelihood of manifestation or non-manifestation of the aggressive symptom complex is substantiated by facilitators / inhibitors of aggression. It was also determined the propensity to establish oneself as a reference model and the rejection of the individuality of another party is first and foremost associated with the specificity of communication cohort of the police officers, and can be considered as an option of psychological defense against premature psychoemotional burnout.