Psychological Attributes of Policemen: A Review of Research and Opinion

This review focuses primarily on personality characteristics of policemen. The data substantiate, with some qualifications, the existence of a nonpathological “modal police personality.” Methodological weaknesses prevent, however, an assessment of the relative developmental contributions of predisposing self‐selection effects, socioeconomic class determinants, organizational selection and selective attrition, occupational socialization, and role‐specific behaviors.