It's not depersonalization, It's emotional labor: examining surface acting and use-of-force with evidence from the US
Using data from one urban police department in the United States, this study gauges the effects of individual officer characteristics on use-of-force. Consistent with prior research, we find Emotional Exhaustion to be a negative correlate to use-of-force: Emotionally-exhausted officers avoid engagin...
| Authors: | ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[2020]
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| In: |
International journal of law, crime and justice
Year: 2020, Volume: 61 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Keywords: |
| Summary: | Using data from one urban police department in the United States, this study gauges the effects of individual officer characteristics on use-of-force. Consistent with prior research, we find Emotional Exhaustion to be a negative correlate to use-of-force: Emotionally-exhausted officers avoid engaging with others. However, unlike previous research, we examine administrative data on actual use-of-force and include emotional labor into the model to reveal Surface Acting as a positive and significant correlate to use-of-force, while depersonalization has no effect. Other positive and statistically-significant correlates to use-of-force include number of primary calls and perceived need for use-of-force. In contrast, sex, years of experience, and prior military experience do not explain variations in use-of-force, nor does perceived organizational support or serving in a line officer capacity. We conclude with suggestions for further research, including examining use-of-force as a workplace stressor and the potential for emotional suppression to alter officer interpretations of suspect behavior. |
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| ISSN: | 1756-0616 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ijlcj.2019.100358 |