Police treatment teaches stopped citizens their own worthiness of respect
Evidence
The psychological implications of interactions with street-level bureaucrats may be fleeting where the interaction is not sustained. Police tend to treat people they apprehend scornfully or respectfully depending upon their apparent moral worthiness and the respect they display for the police. To be treated with respect, or with utter disrespect, by these symbols of authority have implications for citizens’ views of themselves. People stopped by the police in a sense discover whether they are or are not the kind of person to whom respect is normally granted. — Michael Lipsky, Street-Level Bureaucracy, 506
Categorization
- XREF: Builds on ch. 41’s deference-cue mechanism — here the payoff is the internal psychological result of being denied respect. — connects to: Police demand visible deference gestures that demonstrate suspect status understood; Repeated police stops erode citizens’ sense of equal standing and legitimacy of law — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 440; Even outcome-free routine stops erode citizens’ trust in police legitimacy (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- Repeated police stops erode citizens’ sense of equal standing and legitimacy of law
#expands(0.95) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 440 - Even outcome-free routine stops erode citizens’ trust in police legitimacy
#expands(0.90) - Routine police stops erode community trust more than fatal incidents do.
#expands(0.85) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 347 - Criminals must preserve self-respect by sanitizing and deflecting blame for misconduct.
#complicates(0.75) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1388