Abstract
The present study was aimed at investigating whether different personality profiles could be found among Italian police Special
Force (SF) officers. Our hypothesis was that different personality profiles would be found, and that they would differ with
respect to psychological and organizational functioning. This conjecture was tested on anonymously collected Big Five scores
of all members of a ‘Reparto Mobile’ unit (n = 289) by means of a Two-Step cluster analysis. Two distinct personality profiles were found: two-thirds of participants
showed a personality profile that was quite similar to the general population, with the exception of a higher self-reported
emotional stability and self-deceptive enhancement, while the remaining third showed higher levels of any personality domain
than both the other cluster and the general population. These officers also endorsed lower scores in measures of depression,
anxiety, professional exhaustion, loss of empathy, and higher scores in a measure of organizational resilience, suggesting
that they may represent the most suitable personnel for the delicate tasks their unit usually has to accomplish. In addition,
self-deceptive enhancement emerged as a likely personality trait of police SF officers.
Force (SF) officers. Our hypothesis was that different personality profiles would be found, and that they would differ with
respect to psychological and organizational functioning. This conjecture was tested on anonymously collected Big Five scores
of all members of a ‘Reparto Mobile’ unit (n = 289) by means of a Two-Step cluster analysis. Two distinct personality profiles were found: two-thirds of participants
showed a personality profile that was quite similar to the general population, with the exception of a higher self-reported
emotional stability and self-deceptive enhancement, while the remaining third showed higher levels of any personality domain
than both the other cluster and the general population. These officers also endorsed lower scores in measures of depression,
anxiety, professional exhaustion, loss of empathy, and higher scores in a measure of organizational resilience, suggesting
that they may represent the most suitable personnel for the delicate tasks their unit usually has to accomplish. In addition,
self-deceptive enhancement emerged as a likely personality trait of police SF officers.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-12
- DOI 10.1007/s11896-011-9099-6
- Authors
- Sergio Garbarino, State Police Health Service Department, Ministry of the Interior, Rome, Italy
- Carlo Chiorri, Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology Unit, University of Genoa, Corso Podestà, 2, 16128 Genova, Italy
- Nicola Magnavita, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
- Sara Piattino, Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology Unit, University of Genoa, Corso Podestà, 2, 16128 Genova, Italy
- Giovanni Cuomo, State Police Health Service Department, Ministry of the Interior, Rome, Italy
- Journal Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology
- Online ISSN 1936-6469
- Print ISSN 0882-0783