The “Police Personality”: Is it Real?

Citation

TenEyck, Michael F. (2023). The “Police Personality”: Is it Real?. Police Quarterly.

Abstract

Much research has discussed the “police personality.” Yet, it is still unclear what particular traits make up the police personality—or whether it exists at all. This can be partially attributed to the limited availability of data collected within individual police departments. Using a nationally representative sample of adults (Add Health), the current study examines whether the Big Five personality traits, temperamental characteristics, and empirically informed covariates are related to being a police officer. Results indicate that, compared to the general population, individuals in law enforcement score significantly lower on openness to experience. Police officers are also more likely than non-officers to have experienced divorce, served in the military, lean politically conservative, and be male. These findings provide partial support for the notion that there are distinct factors that define the police personality.

URL

https://doi.org/10.1177/10986111231193032

Keyword(s)

Police personality

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

Police Quarterly

Author(s)

TenEyck, Michael F.

Year Published

2023

Edition

July 28, 2023

DOI

10.1177/10986111231193032

Reference ID

10153