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Unspeakable Emotion

A Discursive Analysis of Police Talk about Reactions to Trauma

Massey University

Keith Tuffin

Massey University

Christine Stephens

Massey University

In contrast to traditional psychological theories that conceptualize emotions as discrete intrapsychic phenomena, the present study considers emotions as social constructions. A discursive analysis of interviews with 12 police officers was undertaken to develop a situated understanding of the construction and function of emotion in the culture of the New Zealand police. Two conflicting discourses of emotion were identified: a discourse of emotional disclosure in which discussion of emotions was constructed as a normal and healthy human activity and a discourse of unspeakability in which emotions were framed as dangerous and threatening to performance, demanding management and control. Both of these discourses were drawn on by the majority of respondents and were contextually contingent. We argue that strategic deployment of these discourses enables officers to present themselves as both culturally and professionally competent.

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