Summary Of Cowboys Don T Cry

Title

Re/framing experienced by a Male SAPS Officer of the Child Protection Unit just doing his Job: “Cowboys don’t cry”

Introduction

This is an exploratory study in order to investigate how male officers of the South African Police Service (SAPS) deal with and take on vicarious trauma (through taking statements) and exposure to violent crime within South Africa (SA). It is important to investigate the experiences surrounding organisational structures, violent crime, vicarious trauma and various coping strategies in order to get a clearer picture of the re/framing of the self among this unique group of personalities. This study aims to provide a qualitative account through in-depth interviews and focus groups of these inimitable experiences

It becomes evident that there are certain crimes which can be considered intrinsically violent such as rape, homicide etc. and there are other crimes which are not intrinsically violent such as fraud. Some violence within the SA community is considered as necessary as well as justifiable (Collins, 2014). There appears to be a popular view that the idea of the fear of punishment will provide an effective strategy to prevent crime, therefore, encouraging violence through law enforcement (Collins, 2014). Violence is maintained in the SA society due to socio-economical context as well as the violent history of Apartheid (where the use of violence was organisationally sanctioned) and colonisation into which SA’s democracy was birthed (Sen, 2008). It is due to this reproducing nature of violence within the SA society that uniformed members of the SAPS have masses on their plate as they must deal with a violent society (Nel,

These include: the high crime rate experienced in SA, organisational transformation post 1994 and stresses which can include lack of confidence in management, a lack of resources available to SAPS, illness such as post-traumatic stress, maladaptive coping strategies, burnout due to high case load as well as a decrease in both job performance and satisfaction (Pienaar & Rothmann, 2005). These stressors lead to either an increase in suicide ideation (thinking about suicide) or suicide. Police are in an environment where the expression of emotion is not prohibited (Pienaar & Rothmann, 2003). This restricted emotionality is enforced both by the SAPS working environment as well as the typical male gender stereotype (Nel, 1994). This suppression can lead to various damaging side effects such as: anxiety, anger, increased relationship difficulties and depression (Wester, Vogel, & Archer Jr., 2004). Gendered stereotypes also play a huge role in seeking help. Males are male in society when they are aggressive, successful and self-reliant (McCarthy & Holliday, 2004). This promotes adherence to the principle of “cowboys don’t cry” (Nel, 1994, p.