Personality of Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cadets Following the Cadet Training Program

Why was the study done?

RCMP Cadets recruited for the Cadet training program (CTP) report personality characteristics previously evidenced as desirable for contemporary policing and associated with mental health resiliency, prior to beginning the program. Police recruit training is associated with a major shift in social roles and might influence personality. Currently there is limited research assessing personality changes in RCMP Cadets following the CTP. The current study examined cadet personality characteristics before and after the CTP, and compared RCMP Cadets personalities following the CTP to the general population.

What was done in the study?

RCMP Cadets (n=449) participating in the larger RCMP Longitudinal PTSD Study (www.rcmpstudy.ca) completed the 100-item self-report HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised when starting the CTP. The HEXACO measures six personality factors (i.e., Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience) and 25 facets (subcomponents of the personality factors) before and after completing the CTP.

Cadets’ personality factors and facets following the CTP were also compared to the general population, consisting of HEXACO data sampled internationally from Canada, USA, UK, and Australia. For more about the HEXACO, please visit: http://hexaco.org/.

What did we find out?

Following the CTP and compared to the general population RCMP cadets reported higher Honesty-Humility, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Fairness, Forgivingness, and Patience; as well as lower Emotionality, Openness to Experience, Anxiety, and Fearfulness.

Following the CTP and compared to starting the CTP, RCMP Cadets reported higher Openness to Experience and Inquisitiveness along with lower Agreeableness, Anxiety, and Perfectionism, following the CTP. Despite small changes in personality from following the CTP, cadets maintained personality characteristics previously evidenced as considered ideal for contemporary policing.

Where do we go from here?

Personality profiles of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and other police, and the possible impacts of police training on personality, are of particular interest to researchers and policing organizations. The current results support broad theories of personality development and change, which highlight that life events or transitions can have some influence on personality. The current results also provide additional information and insights about how the CTP impacts Cadets’ personality characteristics.