Social Role Self-Perceptions of State Prison Guards

Abstract

Penal institutions determine their expectations of their own guards' social role. The adequate performance of this social role, however, is dependent on the self-perceptions of the guards and the extent to which their own expectations are associated with those of the institutions. The following research was conducted to find out the influence of self-perceptions of prison guards on their social role. Results indicated self-perceived variables in the guard's social role were: integration, personal, social distance, knowledge, rehabilitation-coerciveness, and custodial care. Such expectations of the occupational role might be expected to delimit role performance and thus to increase or decrease role conflict with the institution.