Program
Communication & Journalism
College
Arts and Sciences
Student Level
Master's
Start Date
7-11-2018 4:15 PM
End Date
7-11-2018 5:30 PM
Abstract
Abstract Law enforcement is an extremely stressful career. In exploration of the influence of career stress on law enforcement officers’ relationships, data was collected from eighteen in-depth interviews and ninety hours of participant observation with American peace officers. The results of this research found that while all of the officers admitted to the omnipresent nature of their career stress, the majority of them repeatedly devalued the impact of present or potential detriments caused by that stress. For example, they often invalidated emotions through jadedness and dark humor, challenged the stance that their organizational culture is harmful (e.g. many officers undermined the actuality of toxic masculinity), and downplayed the benefits of honest emotional communication with colleagues, intimate partners, or therapists. From this research, the author began to develop a burgeoning communication theory called the sponge theory. This theory provides a new lens to understanding the interpersonal effects of stress by proposing four concepts that analogize highly-stressed humans with sponges: 1) absorption, 2) porosity, 3) intra-organism communication, and 4) regrowth. Through application of these concepts, the sponge theory offers an explanation of the interplay between social dynamics and organizational culture so that highly-stressed individuals may become aware of the systems and situations that affect them, and ultimately cultivate the skills necessary to successfully manage their stress.
Included in
Criminology Commons, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons, Organizational Communication Commons
The Sponge Theory: Introducing a New Interpersonal Communication Theory
Abstract Law enforcement is an extremely stressful career. In exploration of the influence of career stress on law enforcement officers’ relationships, data was collected from eighteen in-depth interviews and ninety hours of participant observation with American peace officers. The results of this research found that while all of the officers admitted to the omnipresent nature of their career stress, the majority of them repeatedly devalued the impact of present or potential detriments caused by that stress. For example, they often invalidated emotions through jadedness and dark humor, challenged the stance that their organizational culture is harmful (e.g. many officers undermined the actuality of toxic masculinity), and downplayed the benefits of honest emotional communication with colleagues, intimate partners, or therapists. From this research, the author began to develop a burgeoning communication theory called the sponge theory. This theory provides a new lens to understanding the interpersonal effects of stress by proposing four concepts that analogize highly-stressed humans with sponges: 1) absorption, 2) porosity, 3) intra-organism communication, and 4) regrowth. Through application of these concepts, the sponge theory offers an explanation of the interplay between social dynamics and organizational culture so that highly-stressed individuals may become aware of the systems and situations that affect them, and ultimately cultivate the skills necessary to successfully manage their stress.
