Skip to main content

Social, Personal and Group Identity

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Police Socialisation, Identity and Culture
  • 1643 Accesses

Abstract

Whilst policing is very often characterised in terms of its legal roles and functions, Chap. 3 provides a more sociological account of policing as a ‘cultural institution’ which has changed fundamentally since its inception. This chapter builds upon the theme of identity by moving from the organisational to the cultural and, in doing so, explores the issues of social and personal identity and the formation of the self. This is done through an analysis of the social identity and intergroup relations literature. Understanding organisations is as much about understanding the attitudes, values and beliefs of the individuals who work within those organisations as anything else. Appreciating how these attitudes, values and beliefs are formed within the organisational environment is essential to a fuller understanding of the development of police culture.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ashforth, B., & Kreiner, G. (1999). “How Can You Do It?” Dirty Work and the Challenge of Constructing a Positive Identity. The Academy of Management Review, 24(3), 413–434.

    Google Scholar 

  • Assmann, J., & Czaplicka, J. (1995). Collective Memory and Cultural Identity. New German Critique, 65, 125–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, H. (1963). Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blader, S., & Tyler, T. (2009). Testing and Extending the Group Engagement Model: Linkages Between Social Identity Theory, Procedural Justice, Economic Outcomes and Extra Role Behaviour. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(2), 445–464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bond, C., Murphy, K., & Porter, L. (2015). Procedural Justice in Policing: The First Phase of an Australian Longitudinal Study of Officer Attitudes and Intentions. Crime, Law and Social Change, 64, 229–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1990). The Logic of Practice. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradford, B. (2014). Policing and Social Identity: Procedural Justice, Inclusion and Co-operation Between Police and Public. Policing and Society, 24(1), 22–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradford, B., & Quinton, P. (2014). Self-Legitimacy, Police Culture and Support for Democratic Policing in an English Constabulary. British Journal of Criminology, 54(6), 1023–1046.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradford, B., Jackson, J., & Hough, M. (2014). Police Futures and Legitimacy: Redefining ‘Good Policing’. In J. Brown (Ed.), The Future of Policing (pp. 79–99). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradford, B., Murphy, K., & Jackson, J. (2014). Officers as Mirrors: Policing, Procedural Justice and the (Re) Production of Social Identity. British Journal of Criminology, 54(4), 527–550.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradford, B., Quinton, P., Myhill, A., & Porter, G. (2014). Why Do ‘the Law’ Comply? Procedural Justice, Group Identification and Officer Motivation in Police Organizations. European Journal of Criminology, 11(1), 110–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cain, D. (2012). Gender Within a Specialised Police Department: An Examination of the Cultural Dynamics of a Police Firearms Unit, Unpublished Professional Doctorate. Portsmouth: University of Portsmouth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charman, S. (2013). Sharing a Laugh: The Role of Humour in Relationships Between Police Officers and Ambulance Staff. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 33(3–4), 152–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooley, C. (1902). Human Nature and the Social Order. London: Transaction Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dick, P. (2005). Dirty Work Designations: How Police Officers Account for Their Use of Coercive Force. Human Relations, 58(11), 1363–1390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Durkheim, E. (1984). The Division of Labour in Society. Basingstoke: Macmillan. (Original work published 1893).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ericson, R. (1975). Criminal Reactions: The Labelling Perspective. Farnborough: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Festinger, L. (1954). A Theory of Social Comparison Processes. Human Relations, 7, 117–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foucault, M. (1972). The Archaeology of Knowledge and the Discourse on Language. London: Tavistock.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foucault, M. (1980). Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings. London: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbons, F., & Gerrard, M. (1991). Downward Comparison and Coping with Threat. In J. Suls & T. Wills (Eds.), Social Comparison: Contemporary Theory and Research (pp. 317–345). Hillslade: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Doubleday Anchor.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haas, N., van Craen, M., Skogan, W., & Leitas, D. (2015). Explaining Officer Compliance: The Importance of Procedural Justice and Trust Inside a Police Organization. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 15(4), 442–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hacking, I. (2011). Between Michel Foucault and Erving Goffman: Between Discourse in the Abstract and Face-to-Face Interaction. Economy and Society, 33(3), 277–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hallett, T. (2003). Symbolic Power and Organizational Culture. Sociological Theory, 21(2), 128–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values (2nd ed.). London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogg, M. (2006). Social Identity Theory. In P. J. Burke (Ed.), Contemporary Social Psychological Theories (pp. 111–136). California: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogg, M., & Abrams, D. (1988). Social Identifications: A Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations and Group Processes. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, E. (1951). Work and the Self. In J. Rohrer & M. Sherif (Eds.), Social Psychology at the Crossroads (pp. 313–323). New York: Harper and Brothers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, E. (1958). Men and Their Work. Glencoe: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, G., & Scholes, K. (1992). Exploring Corporate Strategy. Harlow: Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • McBride, J., & Martinez-Lucio, M. (2011). Dimensions of Collectivism: Occupation, Community and the Increasing Role of Memory and Personal Dynamics in the Debate. Work, Employment and Society, 25(4), 794–805.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mead, G. (1934). Mind, Self and Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moscovici, S. (1972). Society and Theory in Social Psychology. In J. Israel & H. Tajfel (Eds.), The Context of Social Psychology: A Critical Assessment (pp. 17–68). London: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nietzsche, F. (1997). Untimely Meditations. In D. Breazeale (Ed.), Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1874).

    Google Scholar 

  • Oberweis, T., & Musheno, M. (1999). Policing Identities: Cop Decision Making and the Constitution of Citizens. Law and Social Inquiry, 24(4), 897–923.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, T. (1951). The Social System. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savage, S. (2007). Police Reform: Forces for Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schein, E. (1985). Organisational Culture and Leadership: A Dynamic View. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stephenson, C., & Stewart, P. (2001). The Whispering Shadow: Collectivism and Individualism at Ikeda-Hoover and Nissan UK. Sociological Research Online, 6(3), 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stets, J., & Burke, P. (2000). Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory. Social Psychology Quarterly, 63(3), 224–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H. (1978). Interindividual Behaviour and Intergroup Behaviour. In H. Tajfel (Ed.), Differentiation Between Social Groups: Studies in the Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations (pp. 27–60). London: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H. (1981). Human Groups and Social Categories. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H. (1982). Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Annual Review of Psychology, 33, 1–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tönnies, F. (1887). Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft. Leipzig: Fues’s Verlag. (Translated, 1957 by Charles Price Loomis as Community and Society. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.)

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, T., & Blader, S. (2003). The Group Engagement Model: Procedural Justice, Social Identity and Co-operative Behaviour. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 7(4), 349–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wagner, J. (1995). Studies of Individualism-Collectivism: Effects on Co-operation in Groups. The Academy of Management Journal, 38(1), 152–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber, M. (1978). Economy and Society. California: University of California Press. (Original work published 1922).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Charman, S. (2017). Social, Personal and Group Identity. In: Police Socialisation, Identity and Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63070-0_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63070-0_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-63069-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63070-0

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics