Chapter eleven was an interesting assessment about various aspects regarding the application of social psychology to the justice system (Gruman, 2016). It presented a lot of material regarding the psychology of crime and the mechanics of an investigation and jury selection. However, I was slightly disappointed that there was not more discussion of the psychology of police, since this has been a major topic of public concern for decades. More specifically, I have heard of John Wayne Syndrome for most of my life and wanted to learn more about it.
John Wayne Syndrome is a term that has been frequently used, although less in the decades since the actor died, to describe an approach that some newer police officers may develop before they become more experienced (Chandler, 1979). The name is derived from how closely common qualities of the syndrome resemble qualities in many of the characters that Wayne played on screen. His characters were usually tough, heroic, no-nonsense cowboys who showed little emotion or hesitancy when facing dangerous outlaws in the old west. It is also notable that those characters frequently had the moral high-ground and were willing to fight to the bitter end, even if out-gunned and alone. This archetype of the “lone hero” is one that has been associated with John Wayne Syndrome because it mirrors the feelings of isolation associated with the syndrome’s mindset. This attitude “is characterized by over-seriousness, emotional withdrawal, and coldness, authoritarian attitudes, the development of ‘tunnel vision,’ and cynicism” (Chandler, 1979). These qualities seem to be stable as well. Chandler (1979) writes, “these reactions cannot be turned on and off; they continue into officers’ relationships with family members, creating serious problems in marriages.”
Chandler (1979) also found that it takes about 4 years for the syndrome to begin to subside, and newer research by Lafrance (2013) had somewhat similar conclusions. He explained that the syndrome is closely tied to newer officers’ ridged reliance on “standard operating procedure” versus the discretion and intuition that is developed with time and experience (Lafrance, 2013). He also found that the relationship between those two variables is parabolic in nature, and “that it takes an average of 9 years before the priority that an officer places on SOPs stops increasing and begins to decrease. The results show that most officers begin to experience a tipping point between 5 and 13 years.This lends statistical support to the anecdotal evidence that 5 years is when officers start to lose the John Wayne Syndrome” (Lafrance, 2013).
The stress and timing of this condition could be correlated with officer burnout, as the arcs appear to be similar. While I did not find studies that examine the possible relationship between burnout and John Wayne Syndrome among police, I did find one that correlated the two among firefighters. Lourel (2008) found that “it is important to note that the ‘John Wayne’ syndrome (as defined by the fact that some workers hide their feelings and emotions to cope with the hard reality of their missions) is a good predictor of burnout.” Greene (2011) describes burnout as characterized by years in a stressful work environment among those who work with the public. He further describes the symptoms as involving “feelings of being emotionally exhausted” and depersonalization, which “frequently taking the form of a callous or insensitive response to other people.” He goes on to say that this may result “in a diminished sense of accomplishment” and that the phenomena is not uncommon, as “patrol officers speak of the ‘seven-year syndrome’” (Greene, 2011).
Because of the relationship between John Wayne Syndrome and burnout, it seems that there may be similar ways to help alleviate the effects of both. A sense of choice regarding daily duties, team policing, stress management programs and counseling have helped departments lessen officers’ feelings of stress and isolation (Greene, 2011). However, it will be interesting to see if these methods are still effective in light of current events. The weekly supply of new viral videos showing officers killing unarmed people of color are directly causing the public’s relationship with the police becomes increasingly contentious. Because of the constant stress related to decreasing public faith in the integrity of officers, massive protests, coronavirus, and the seemingly never-ending quarantine, I hypothesize that reports of both John Wayne Syndrome and burnout will increase over the next few years among urban police officers.
Chandler, E.V., Jones., C.S. (March, 1979). Cynicism – An Inevitability of Police Work? Journal of Police Science and Administration, 7(1), 65-68.
Greene, E., Heilbrun. (2011). Wrightsman’s Psychology and the Legal System 7th ed. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W. , &. Coutts, L.M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems 3rd edition. SAGE Publications.
Lafrance, C., Day, J. (March, 2013). The Role of Experience in Prioritizing Adherence to SOPs in Police Agencies. Public Organization Review. Dordrecht, 13(1), 37-48. https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1285620550/BE0797197F514A38PQ/2?accountid=13158
Lourel M., Abdellaoui S., Chevaleyre S., Paltrier M., & Gana K. (2008). Relationships Between Psychological Job Demands, Job Control and Burnout Among Firefighters, North American Journal of Psychology, 10(3), 489-496. https://search-proquest.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/197977434/fulltext/657D38434F964E13PQ/1?accountid=13158
I have not read much into the psychology of police. Having a better understanding of the police officer’s psychological state can give great insight to why some good cops go bad. Gaining an understanding will help ease the tension between police and surrounding communities. I grew up watching John Wayne films with my grandparents.“John Wayne syndrome” is very real in the police community. This with a combination of civil unrest due to police brutality is leading to increased stress for police and their communities. Outside of John Wayne syndrome, many officers can suffer from other psychological disturbances and social life dysfunction. The national institute of Justice reported that officers experience high rates of divoce, alcoholism, suicide, and health problems. (NIJ 2020) Additionally, a consequence of being an officer changes the officer’s personality over time. They often can be seen to be cynical, aggressive and overly suspicious. (NIJ 2020) I agree with your assessment that the problem is only getting worse with urban police officers. As a result of the time we are living in we commonly see more hostility between police and communities. Society needs civil dialogue between police and communities to help ease the tension.
Policy)., G., & Policy)., M. (n.d.). Strengthen science. Advance justice. Retrieved October 19, 2020, from https://nij.ojp.gov/