The psychology of stress:  asap asks a therapist four questions about police beatings

Two New Orleans police officers are caught on tape punching a man accused of public intoxication. Another city officer pushes an AP Television News producer as a cameraman captures footage of the confrontations.  What's behind this sort of behavior?

asap asked therapist Anna Maravelas, author of "How to Reduce Workplace Conflict and Stress," about the psychology at play when police officers become violent.
asap: What causes this behavior?

Maravelas: Typically, we see these kinds of behaviors after (police officers) have been under intense stress -- sometimes for hours – such as a high-speed chase, a shootout or a brief but violent altercation where their lives have been at risk.  Aggressive reactions are typically a response to behavior that would drive any normal human being over the edge. Most people would respond violently to protect their safety, but police officers are trained to curb their aggressive reactions. However, sometimes the threat or insult is so strong, and so immediate that their reflexive reaction overrides their training and they operate out of the medulla, a very reflexive, survival part of the brain.

asap: So the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina might be to blame?

Maravelas: Absolutely. They're worn down. They're exhausted. They haven't been sleeping. They haven’t had access to bathrooms.  Their colleagues have abandoned the police department, which has to be tremendously demoralizing. And then they are in situations where they've been shot at or had rocks thrown at them. They truly are in fight-or-flight. John Gottman, a psychologist, found that after heart rates go above 100 beats per minute, an individual cannot hear what someone is saying even if they try.  So imagine the physiology of their bodies – heartbeats can jump to 165.  
Of course, this behavior should not be tolerated. They've been trained not to respond this way.

asap: What can be done to combat this?

Maravelas: Reflexive reactions -- when your life is at risk -- are purposeful. They give you tremendous speed and strength. They thicken the blood so you don't bleed to death. It's the reason people are physically able to lift cars off people in auto accidents. Adrenaline and hormones are released into the bloodstream. However, the reflexive response becomes a liability when a person is reacting to situations that are not life threatening.

asap: What effect will the fact this was videotaped and broadcast all over have on their psyches?

Maravelas: Those officers will suffer greatly. The majority of police officers truly want to protect the public -- with the exception of a few--which any occupation has.  They’re going to have both internal demons plus professional ones from commanding officers and the community. It's going to impact their careers and lives.

Derrik J. Lang is an asap staff writer in New York.
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