Dictionary of new words

JANE WAYNE SYNDROME

n.
The tendency for some female rookie police officers to use excessive force to try to live up to preconceived "tough-guy" images.
Example Citation:
But women are not immune from using excessive force. Ms. Fletcher identified a tendency by some rookie female officers to over-react, trying to live up to a tough image. "The cops call it the Dirty Harriet orJane Wayne syndrome," she said.
—Timothy Egan, "New Faces, and New Roles, for the Police,"The New York Times, April 25, 1991
Earliest Citation:
Many police psychologists say that youth is a major contributing factor to violence on a police force — Los Angeles police psychologist Marty Reiser calls it the "John andJane Wayne" syndrome— and most view it as a developmental phase.
—John J.Sullivan,Psychology Today, January 1, 1984 (approx)
Related Words:
Dorito syndrome
hobby bobby
information fatigue syndrome
jump-out squad
locked-in syndrome
one-uppersonship
one-upwomanship
perfect programmer syndrome
Pierre Salinger syndrome
racial profiling
sedentary death syndrome
suicide by cop
testilying
Categories:
Men and Women
Law and Order