Processing Under Pressure [Paperback]

Dr. Sharp's book is a well-researched, reader-friendly explanation of the potential effects of stress, pressure, mind-set, human nature and circumstances on decision-making in police environments. Included are chapters on eye-witness and memory errors, tactical errors and even budget-development errors, as well as very useful information about training needed to recognize potential decision-making errors and purposefully guarding against them.

Some of the introductory material will be familiar to those who were part of the era (mid-1970s and on) in which stress management training and police psychologists were introduced in many departments.(Although that is not the entire focus of this book.) Those who have read Blink by Malcolm Gladwell will also recognize some of the concepts. However, unlike Gladwell's book, which discussed police decision-making in only one or two sections, this book is focused entirely on understanding and improving police decisions. There is obvious application in many settings.

Some of the terminology may at first seem heavy on psychological terms (gestalt, feature intensive, cognitive dissonance, etc.) However, the author explains those sufficiently and thus credits readers with wanting to expand their thinking rather than just getting a pop-cop-psychology book. I had difficulty relating to some of his examples, especially when discussing the reticence of officers to express their feelings about organizational decisions. I think the department with which he primarily works, the Fresno PD, must be more military and rank conscious than most if that is the case there. But, he may have been providing an extreme case to make a point. That was a small quibble in the otherwise easily-applied book.

I would like to see the author develop a full text on supervisory and command level decision-making under the unique pressures, stressors and frustrations felt by those more administrative positions. Most sergeants, lieutenants, captains and chiefs have experienced the stressors of patrol work, but few patrol officers are aware of or even acknowledge the stress, pressure and isolation often felt by higher ranks or by non-sworn staff. A book similar to this, with that slightly different focus, might increase understanding by all levels for the others.

Dr. Sharp writes with a wry sense of humor and his book is well worth reading, considering and seeking ways to apply it. It could be very useful for officers of all ranks and their families, Peer Support and EAP members, trainers, FTOs, police chaplains, district attorneys, police oversight boards and similar groups, and community members in general. Thanks, Dr. Sharp, for what I can tell must have been a vast amount of work on this.

There is a lot of bad science, misinformation and fanciful nonsense floating about in the commercial martial arts arena and in other arenas attempting to explain what happens to the human animal under duress of violence.

This is an area of research where bad science and fanciful theory results in serious side effects to individuals adhering to such fanciful treats.

This new book: PROCESSING UNDER PRESSURE written by Matthew J. Sharps, provides an accurate and credible scientific explication of what actually occurs within the human's cognition, sensory-motor neural network and affectual systems under such duress--as well as what it means to the human affected.

Chapter One addresses the affects of adrenaline on the human nervous system, both acutely and chronically.

Chapter Two discusses perceptual and attentive processes and their distortions, specifically under combat situations.

Chapter Three provides insights into memory distortions which occur under duress and how memory is a mixture of these often distorted variables.

Chapter Four exercises the truths of the previous chapter on memory, and relates it in how eye-witness accounts can be erroneous on numerous accounts. What we think we see is not always what had happened.

Chapter Five relates how humans interpret visual cues under duress, and how these cues can be so easily misinterpreted with dire consequences to the "seer" and "seen."

Chapter Six covers the complexities of making sound judgments under duress, leaving our own personal biases and egos out of the mix. It uses examples from well researched past conflicts to provide a scientific template for decision-making under such stress.

Chapter Seven addresses the "Warrior Minds" explicating how such intelligent creates can make some really bad choices.

Chapters Eight, Nine and Ten are in depth after action reviews into cognition-processes in severe tactical situations, using what had occurred in past events of The Little Bighorn, Mogadishu (1993) and the Ardennes (1943), respectively.

As is true within these three overviews, this entire book applies references from the scientific community, backing up the details and conclusions--devoid of personal ego and marketing hype.

The Eleventh Chapter offers insights and foresight into the "...implications for training and enforcement in an increasingly risky world, where we must understand fully the context in which we wish to operate if we are to design sound training scenarios.

The book concludes with a poignant epilogue addressing violence and human responses thereof, with an extensive bibliography and index included.

Dr.Matthew J. Sharps (the author)teaches cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience and the history of psychology at California State University, Fresno, USA. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Psychological Specialties, American College of Forensic Examiners, and a Fellow of the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute.

Professor Sharps has consulted in over 160 criminal cases in California and currently serves as a research consultant to the Fresno Police Department.

While the book's audience is primarily directed toward professionals in law enforcement, the 242 page is actually very easy to read and comprehend. The scientifically sound research and details are simple, direct and free of scientific gobbly-gook. It is written in a language people within a professional capacity will be able to understand, and more importantly, apply in daily practices.

This book will offer continued reference for those wishing a deeper understanding to the good science of the human condition, stressed under violence.

Rev. Arthur Bodhi Chenevey, RM, DD
Hikaze Learning Corner

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