Police-citizen encounters: Turk on norm resistance

Abstract

Turk's theory of norm resistance is discussed and applied to the problem of police-citizen encounters. This theory is examined critically in an effort to generate hypotheses about over conflict between police and citizens in field encounters. Specific hypotheses about deference reversals, culture conflict, congruence between behavior and official norms, and organization and sophistication factors are discussed. The research literature is reviewed. Prior research supports Turk's formulation and provides guidance for measuring his constructs.