A second category of postulates supports police isolationism. A third group of postulates instructs officers on the need for bravery. There have been several efforts to explain the unique character of the police. The psychological paradigm suggests that persons with certain personality characteristics are drawn to police work. Often referred to as the predispositional model, this view suggests, for example, that those with authoritarian personalities are attracted to policing.
Authoritarian types are likely to be conservative, aggressive, cynical, and rigid.
These personality characteristics, according to the psychological perspective, are reflected in the unique character of the police. The sociological paradigm rejects the notion that police character is solely the product of personality characteristics of those persons employed in policing. Instead, this paradigm proposes that police character is formed, molded and shaped by the police working environment. These experiences, according to the sociological paradigm, are responsible for forging a unique police character. The anthropological paradigm provides the most holistic explanation for the development of police character.