The Psychological Effects of Police Work, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1991
A Psychodynamic Approach
Criminal Justice and Public Safety Series

SOME DISCLAIMERS It is somewhat unusual to begin a book by declaring what it is not, but the topic of police behavior is so complex that it requires the writer to state as early as possible the limits of what he has written here to describe and explain a police officer's experience. In order for the reader to get a clear idea of what areas of police behavior are to be described, it is nec­ essary to delineate those aspects of police behavior that are beyond the scope of this book. First of all, this book is about the psychological effects of police work on policemen: male police officers. Nearly all of the police officers with whom I have worked have been men, so my impressions and opinions are based on the experiences of male police officers. Consequently, descriptions and expla­ nations of the motivations, anxieties, psychological defenses, and resultant behavior of police officers must be limited to policemen. I believe that there are significant differences in the psychological effects of police work on men and women, but this book does not address this issue.

1 • An Overview of the Psychodynamic Approach.- 2 • Why Everybody Loves and Hates Cops.- 3 • Why Cops Love and Hate Everybody.- 4 • Why Cops Love and Hate the Work.- 5 • How Cops React to Ambivalence.- 6 • A Psychodynamic View of Some Issues in Police Work.- 7 • Clinical Reactions to the Effects of Police Work.- 8 • Some Modest Proposals.- References.