Date of Conferral

11-12-2025

Date of Award

November 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Sean Grier

Abstract

Research on police culture often contrasts the “warrior” mentality, linked to aggression and control, with the “guardian” mentality, which emphasizes empathy, restraint, and community trust. Yet little research explores how police academy instructors, who shape officers’ professional identities, understand and teach these opposing orientations. This phenomenological study examined how Oklahoma police academy instructors perceive the influence of warrior and guardian mentalities on officers’ decision making and behavior in use of force encounters. Grounded in symbolic interaction theory, the study explored how meaning, socialization, and thought interact to construct officers’ self-concepts and guide behavior under pressure. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed, anonymized, and analyzed using a modified phenomenological approach. Findings revealed a multidimensional framework drawn from participants’ lived experiences, showing that effective and responsible use of force depends not only on mindset but also on readiness, situational interpretation, and judgment in dynamic conditions. While the warrior and guardian frameworks provide useful lenses, decision making is complex, context dependent, and influenced by other variables. Participants described these mentalities as situationally activated, socially constructed, and reinforced through training culture. Emotional intelligence and behavioral modulation emerged as mediators linking mentality to professional restraint. Implications for social change include integrating emotional intelligence and fear management training into academy curricula to cultivate balanced, emotionally regulated officers aligned with contemporary democratic policing values to facilitate better service and enhance community relations.

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