rmine the general levels of moral reasoning utilized by law enforcement personnel such as police officers, correctional offices, and sheriffs.
It is, however, also important to realize that existing research shows that moral judgments and level of moral reasoning is not independent of personality and demographic factors (Ellsworth, 1990). This study attempts, therefore, to determine whether the moral reasoning of those law enforcement officials serving as sample subjects is related to selected personality and demographic variables.
What is the level of moral reasoning evidenced by selected members of law enforcement and is it systematically related to personality and demographic variables? Utilizing correlational research, the proposed study searches for possible relationships among these factors in samples of patrol officers, correctional officers, and sheriffs.
Demographic variables include: age, religion, marital status, educational background, number of years in current position, family history, level of family income, and job satisfaction levels. Demographic information will b group-oriented vs. self-sufficient; undisciplined self-conflict vs. following self-image; and relaxed vs. tense. These variables will be assessed using the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) developed by Cattell, Eber and Tatsuoka (1970).
The general research problem can be characterized as an attempt to answer the following research questions:
(1) Are there any systematic relationships between level of moral reasoning and the examined demographics in the selected sample of law enforcement personnel; and if relationships are found, do they differ depending upon whether personnel are patrol officers, correctional officers, or sheriffs?
(2) Are there any systematic relationships between level of moral reasoning and the examined personality traits in the selected sample of law enforcement personnel; and if relationships are f...