‘A Voice Within’: Power-Holders’ Perspectives On Authority And Legitimacy

Bottoms, Anthony; Tankebe, Justice

doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198701996.003.0005

Cited by 91 publications

(65 citation statements)

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“…However, the argument is consistent with prior research positing that individuals can respond to stereotype threat by psychologically distancing themselves from the stereotyped aspects of their identity (Steele, 1997;Steele et al, 2002). Richardson and Goff's (2014) argument is also consistent with recent developments in police legitimacy theory showing that officers' beliefs in the legitimacy of their own authority is intricately tied to their self-concept (Bottoms & Tankebe, 2013), that self-legitimacy is tied to officers' views about how community members judge them (Bradford & Quinton, 2014), and that selflegitimacy influences how officers approach and evaluate their encounters with community members . We provide the first empirical test of Richardson and Goff's (2014) hypothesized mechanism linking stereotype threat to coercive and noncoercive policing styles with survey data from a large metropolitan police department.…”

Section: Current Studysupporting

confidence: 81%

The force of fear: Police stereotype threat, self-legitimacy, and support for excessive force.

Trinkner

Kerrison

Goff

2019

Law and Human Behavior

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Researchers have linked police officers' concerns with appearing racist-a kind of stereotype threat-to racial disparities in the use of force. This study presents the first empirical test of the hypothesized psychological mechanism linking stereotype threat to police support for violence. We hypothesized that stereotype threat undermines officers' self-legitimacy, or the confidence they have in their inherent authority, encouraging overreliance on coercive policing to maintain control. Officers (n ϭ 784) from the patrol division of a large urban police force completed a survey in order to test this hypothesis. Respondents completed measures of stereotype threat, self-legitimacy, resistance to use of force policy, approval of unreasonable force, and endorsement of procedurally fair policing. Structural equation models showed that elevated stereotype threat was associated with lower self-legitimacy (␤ ϭ Ϫ.15), which in turn was associated with more resistance to restrictions on force (␤ ϭ Ϫ.17), greater approval of unreasonable force (␤ ϭ Ϫ.31), and lower endorsement of fair policing (␤ ϭ .57). These results reveal that concerns about appearing racist are actually associated with increased support for coercive policing-potentially further eroding public trust. Public Significance StatementThis study links police officers' concerns with appearing racist when interacting with community members to diminished confidence in their legitimate authority and greater support for coercive policing. In this respect, negative stereotypes of police officers can potentially undermine officer morale and public safety.

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Section: Current Studysupporting

confidence: 81%

The force of fear: Police stereotype threat, self-legitimacy, and support for excessive force.

Trinkner

Kerrison

Goff

2019

Law and Human Behavior

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“…Understanding decision‐making processes among these stakeholders would be useful for understanding the militarization of police. Bottoms and Tankebe (, ), for example, suggested a dialogic model, where the path to legitimacy is a fluid process filled with calls and responses between the police, public, and other stakeholders. Others, drawing from institutional theory (Crank and Langworthy ; Katz ), have made similar suggestions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Direct and Indirect Effects of Legitimacy on Public Empowerment of Police: A Study of Public Support for Police Militarization in America

Moule¹,

Burruss²,

Parry³

et al. 2019

Law Soc Rev

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The process‐based model dominates contemporary American research on police‐community relations and perceptions of police. A sizable literature has examined the linkages between procedural justice, legitimacy, compliance with the law, and cooperation with police. Less examined is the relationship between legitimacy and public empowerment of police. This study examines this relationship, focusing on police militarization. We first examine the direct effect of legitimacy on public willingness to allow police to become more militarized. Drawing from cognitive psychology and rational choice theories, we then consider indirect paths between legitimacy and empowerment, concentrating on two anticipated consequences of militarization—an increase in police effectiveness and possible harm to civil liberties. Using a national sample of over 700 American adults, and structural equation modeling, results indicate legitimacy has both direct and indirect effects on police empowerment, in part by shaping assessments of the possible consequences of empowerment. Implications for theory and policy are discussed.

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“…On this account, judgements among individuals about the legitimacy of an institution are based on assessments of the congruence between its goals, practices and behaviours and their own (Hough et al, 2010;Jackson et al, 2011;Bradford et al, 2014b). This normative alignment (the sense that police officers are seen to have an appropriate sense of right and wrong in the eyes of citizens) gives the institution the moral right to power in the eyes of those they govern (Beetham, 1991;Bottoms & Tankebe, 2013). In turn, it may also motivate behaviour through a sense of value congruence and a heightened sense of social obligation (Jackson et al, 2012a).…”

Section: Legitimacymentioning

confidence: 99%