Stress
Stress is a term used by many, is somewhat misunderstood, and often used to describe a negative condition or emotional state. People experience various forms of stress at home, work, in social settings, and when engaged in activities to simply have fun, such as playing sports. Police officer's experience stresses the same as others, but also in ways much different than the average citizen. The dangers, violence, and tragedy seen by officers result in added levels of stress not experienced by the general population. What is Stress? Stress is not a new phenomenon; it has been experienced throughout history. Stress is a biological response to some stimulus. Fear, panic, anger, tragedy, and even something as simple as being competitive can cause it. Stress can result in the competitiveness needed to succeed in business, achieve an education, foster social relationships, and win at sports. Is stress bad or good? It is both. The proper level of stress can benefit people in daily living. Well, what is bad stress and what is good stress? Good stress is stress that you can manage. The stress of competing in athletic contests often works in your favor by stimulating performance. In police officers, stress can make the difference between i
The medical community has attributed stress to such biological responses as heart malfunctions, blood pressure variations, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, pain, depression, muscular discomfort, strokes and a host of nervous system related problems (Adams 401). For the police officer, biological consequences can represent more long-term concerns, but the short-term results are the most profound. Stress of the magnitude that affects an officer's reaction time (increase or decrease) can seriously inhibit their ability to perform a vital action. An unrealistic increase could result in overreacting in confrontation situations, while a decrease in reaction time could result in an officer being injured or killed because a necessary action wasn't taken quickly enough. Well, we know that stress adversely affects an officer's ability to perform their duties, so how can they learn to manage stress? Several techniques are recognized for managing stress. First, anytime stress becomes extreme or you are uncertain about how you feel, you are best advised to seek medical guidance from your physician. Other factors (including possible medical conditions) could be affecting your ability to deal with stress. The most common advice on managing stress is to avoid the stimulus that causes it. Although an effective solution, most often it is not the solution that can be sought, and sometimes seems to be ridiculous advice. But, if the cause of stress can be avoided, do it. Everyone experiences stress. As any stress counselor would explain, a certain degree of stress is essential to a healthy, productive life. However, when stress impairs an individual's ability to function properly, the sources of that stress must be eliminated or reduced. The bottom line is that police officers cannot afford to let stress get out of hand. Their lives, the lives of other officers and citizens depend on the ability to effectively respond under duress. If we take a quick overview of police work and look at the research we can see what are some the biggest stresses. Having you partner killed in the line of duty, lack of support by the department/bosses, shiftwork and disruption of family time/family rituals and the daily grind of dealing with the stupidity of the public (Adams 399). The police officer, under the stress of responding to an armed robbery or a break-in height
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Approximate Word count = 1587
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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