TNM - USA EDITION - CCUPCA

RST RESPONDER | MILITARY | LAW ENFORCEMENT | INTELLIGENCE
Stress is normally classified and subdivided
into eustress (normal stress to which the
individuals are subjected throughout their lives
and which is useful to stimulate their actions) and
distress, (excessive stress to which the individual fails
to cope and that can cause discomfort and psychophysical
damage, reducing the effectiveness of one’s
professional performance). The concept of distress
in Psychology is therefore linked to an excessive
emotional, physical, perceptual and cognitive burden
to which an individual is subjected that cannot be
coped with any resources. The foremost elements
contribute to be raising the level of chronic distress
of an individual, potentially leading to a situation of
crisis, despite being considered positive solicitations
(eg a pleasant emotion). Amusing but very exciting
recreational activities (e.g. doing competitive sport in
the free time) lead the individual with additional stress
and are therefore not recommended during periods of
emotional overload. The human body, therefore, reacts
losing progressively efficiency if exposed to different,
strong and prolonged forms of stress. The individual is
able to withstand a certain amount of stress, regardless
of their own origin, along with psycho-physical balance
“breaks down” causing a reduced performance capacity.
In other words, the body is a sort of container for
stressful stress of various origins that, when a certain
level Is reached, starts working in altered way. In the
world of work, “unavoidable” sources of stress are
identified (linked to fundamental operational needs)
and “deletable” sources of stress, due to organizational
pathologies and factors that can be corrected through
procedural changes or technological solutions.
The primary task of the Executives is to act on the
sources to get rid of distress while the Psychologist’s
function, through psychological support, is to help the
worker-policeman to accept and manage the forms
of unavoidable distress. The police operator must
therefore know that there are organizational solutions
to reduce the high stress that is part of the police work.
Reporting to your superiors of dynamic situations that
produce stress and that can be corrected is therefore
a fundamental element to improve the efficiency of
the organization. In the following table are being listed
some classic physical and psychological stressful
factors for a police operator, a military and a security
operator, partly unavoidable and partly eliminated with
training, organizational changes and good equipment.
PHYSICAL STRESSFUL FACTORS
• Outdoor temperature (hot / cold)
• Noise
• Equipment weight
• Physical pain (although light but prolonged over
time)
Annoying skin sensations (itching, insects)
• Thirst / hunger
• High beam sunlight
• Night job
PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESSFUL FACTORS
• Emotions (fear of dying, anger, frustration, love, etc.)
even external the professional context
• High coefficient of unpredictability of the operating
context
• Contradictority of orders received
• Absence or ineffectiveness of tactical
communications
• Limiting and contradictory rules of engagement
• Lack of decision-making autonomy
• Critical interpersonal relationships with colleagues
• Poor task planning
• Personal external problems to the work context
(family conflicts, separations, problems with children,
etc.)
Knowing the symptomatology caused by excessive stress
is in our opinion a very useful competence for the workerpoliceman
who, noticing in advance abnormal reactions
(psychological, physiological and behavioral), can
TNM 15