Addictive Hypervigilance and Uncontrolled Police Use of Force by Jesse Cheng :: SSRN

Abstract
This theoretical chapter draws from Gilmartin’s (1986) conceptualization of police hypervigilance to present an “addictive hypervigilance” hypothesis of uncontrolled police use of force. The hypothesis proposes that officers can develop a behavioral addiction to a reactive, fight-or-flight physiological state that promotes the misperception of threats, impairing affected officers’ ability over time to exercise appropriate restraint in the use of force. Should the hypothesis prove valid, this chapter suggests that Gilmartin’s own clinical observations would require that hypervigilance’s fear-based, on-guard mentality be modulated through the deliberate cultivation of other professional roles.
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