EXAMINATION OF PRIVATE SECURITY OFFICER’S PERSONALITY TRAITS WITH EMPHATIC TENDENCY AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN TERMS OF SOME VARIABLES

Year 2012, Volume: 12 Issue: 24, 357 - 378, 01.12.2012

Ruhi Yiğit M. Engin Deniz

Abstract

This study aims to analyse whether personal traits, empathic tendency and
communication skills of private security officers differentiate or not at meaningful scale
according to education level and work type variable to identify the correlation between
them. Research data are collected using Adjective Based Personality Scale, Empathic
Tendency Scale, and Communication Skills Inventory. Adjective Based Personality Scale
was developed by Bacanli and others (2009) containing five sub-dimensions (openness,
conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism). Empathic Tendency
Scale (ETS) was developed by Dökmen (1988) to scale individual’s tendency of empathy.
The study is conducted in compliance with general survey model. The study is conducted
in Konya with 242 private security officers participated from which 216 are male (%89.3)
and 26 (%10.7) are female. %55.8 of the sampling people are in the range of 20-30,
%39.7 is in the range of 30-40, %3.3 is in the range of 40-50 and %1.2 is at 50 and over
50 ages. T-test, one-way analysis of variance, Tukey's test and Tamhane’s test are used
depending on variants in statistical analysis of data. Homogeneity tests are applied before
determining the source of differentiation among groups, Tukey’s test is applied in
homogenous groups to determine the source of differentiation, Tamhane’s test is used in
non-homogeneous groups.
It is known that it is his/her feature that makes an individual different from others.
Different cultures, different thoughts, behaviours and approaches emerge as the result of
these cultures. Peculiar to human, features that individualize him/her are called
personality which is the completion of relations s/he has developed between
himself/herself and his/her environment. Communication is one of the important
conceptions that have place in individual’s life. Özer (2004:187) remarks that individual’s
respect to differentness mutually is a priority requiring process in inter-human world
saying that communication process is a conception exchange between people, differences
and variation exist as incontestable facts. If empathy is included in communication,
facility of better communication emerges, quality increases and convention points
augment. When people get to know each other better, they unite in shared objectives and
develop cooperation more easily. Empathy is one’s putting himself/herself into place of
the other and sympathizing with his/her emotion, thought and behaviour. In this study
answers to questions below will be tried to find in accordance with the explanations
above;
1. To determine whether personal traits, empathic tendency and communication skills
of private security officers differentiate or not with respect to education level and work
type variable.
2. Is there a relation between personal traits, empathic tendency and communication
skills at meaningful scale?
When the findings obtained from the research are studied, it is observed in the first
obtained finding that sub-dimensions of extraversion, openness, agreeableness and
conscientiousness of private security officers differentiate at meaningful scale with
respect to education level variable. While in point average of extraversion and
conscientiousness, point average of associate degree and high school graduates are a
higher scale meaningful than primary school graduates, in openness and agreeableness point average of high school graduates are higher than those of primary school graduates.
Outpointing of high school and associate degree graduates than primary school graduates
reveals that education has influences on personality traits. In the second finding of the
research, differentiation at meaningful scale is determined among point average of
communication skills sub-dimensions (mental, behavioural and emotional) with respect to
education level variable of private security officers. Point average of high school and
associate degree graduates are found higher in each three sub-dimensions than those of
primary school graduates at meaningful scale. Thus, it is anticipated that accumulation of
knowledge they obtained as education level increases and individuals becoming more
successful in communication skills and inter-personal relations as result of experience.
In another finding, differentiation at meaningful scale is found in empathy scale of
private security officers with respect to education variable. Point average of empathy
scale of high school and associate degree is found higher at meaningful scale from that of
primary school graduates. It is stated that empathy behaviour is a concept that can be
developed by education. So, lower empathy scale of primary school graduate private
security officers than that of high school and associate degree graduates should not be
considered as unusual. In another finding, while private security officers differentiate in
sub-dimensions of agreeableness conscientiousness of personality sub-dimensions
according to work type variable, differentiation are not found in another sub-dimension at
meaningful scale. In order to work as armed private security officer it is compulsory to be
a graduate of high school. Thus, it is thought that the meaningful differentiation is found
related to be armed or unarmed in sub-dimensions of personality traits correlate
principally with the education level.
Besides, communication skills (mental, behavioural and emotional) of those whose
work type is armed are found high at meaningful scale than those work type is unarmed. It
is thought that the armed group receiving more education during the admission to become
private security officer, repeating of shooting practices every year, receiving refreshing
training in every five years are more experienced and competent when compared with the
unarmed private security officers.
In another finding, differentiation at meaningful scale among empathy scales of
private security officers according to work type variable is found. It is thought that more
education that armed groups received more than others are efficient on their empathy
scale. In the last finding of the research, avoidant meaningful correlations between
neuroticism from sub-dimensions of personality traits and emotional skills sub-dimension
from communication skills and empathy are found. Among other sub-dimensions of
variables correlations are determined at medium and high scale.
Safety needs increase in today’s world in parallel with the augmentation of values of
individuals as qualification and quantity. One of the important solutions for this
increasing safety need is private security services. Private security officers, in addition to
meeting personal safety needs, achieve saving in security services, prepare basis for
general security to work more comfortable and efficient in their own fields by reducing
responsibility of them. Modern society’s immanent nature of threat perception and
danger, whimsical, atomical, fragmentary increases safety need, police and other private
security units becomes significant (Aytaç, 2003:16). In this respect, selection and
education of private security officers should be considered important, their practicing of
theoretical knowledge they received before starting work in various duties should also be
provided. After they start active duty, they should receive in service training periodically and their knowledge should be renewed. Improving economic conditions of the officers at
a scale that it incentivizes to occupation would be a proper decision. Applications that
open ways for people who depict development in professional life should be applied and
people who show maximum effort should be supported in every sense. Paying attention to
closing private security, preparation of general security officers’ place in respect of dayby-day
increasing number in future world should be provided. In addition to many
features that private security officers should have whose importance increases every day,
necessary studies should be conducted primarily with education on increasing positive
personal traits, empathy and communication skills. In this respect, it is thought that
education level of all private education officers should be increased, higher schools that
provide private security education should be opened and in-service training in
Professional life should be permanent would be proper.

Keywords

Private Security Officers, Personality Traits, Emphatic Tendency, Communication skills

GÜVENLİK ALANINDA YENİ BİR KURUM: ÖZEL GÜVENLİKÇİLERİN KİŞİLİK ÖZELLİKLERİ, EMPATİK EĞİLİM VE İLETİŞİM BECERİLERİ

Abstract

Bu araştırmanın amacı, özel güvenlik görevlilerinin kişilik özellikleri, empatik eğilim ve iletişim becerilerinin eğitim düzeyi ve görev şekli değişkenlerine göre anlamlı düzeyde farklılaşıp farklılaşmadığını belirlemek ve aralarındaki ilişkiyi saptamaktır. Araştırma verileri Sıfatlara Dayalı Kişilik Testi, Empatik Eğilim Ölçeği ve İletişim Becerileri Envanteri kullanılarak elde edilmiştir. Araştırma genel tarama modeline uygun olarak desenlenmiştir. Araştırmaya katılan 242 özel güvenlik görevlisinin 216’sı (%89.3) erkek ve 26’sı ise (%10.7) kadındır. Örneklemi oluşturan özel güvenlik görevlilerinin %55.8’i 20-30, %39.7’si 30-40, %3.3’ü 40–50 ve %1.2’si ise 50 yaş ve üzeri aralığında yer almaktadır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre özel güvenlik görevlilerinin kişilik özellikleri, empatik eğilimleri ve iletişim becerilerinin eğitim düzeyi değişkenine göre anlamlı düzeyde farklılaştığı görülmüştür. Görev şekli değişkenine göre kişilik özelliklerinden yumuşak başlılık ve sorumluluk alt boyutları ile iletişim becerileri alt boyutlarında anlamlı düzeyde farklılaşma gözlenirken empatik eğilimlerinde anlamlı düzeyde farklılaşma saptanmamıştır.

Keywords

Özel Güvenlik Görevlileri, Kişilik Özellikleri, Empatik Eğilim, İletişim Becerileri