Psychology

The perceptions of a person about something are as much dependent on the appearance of that thing as it is on the views or past conceptions that person has. Every individual will approach another one based on the perception one has about that person. For a long time, many surveys have produced results that have tended to point to a rather shocking trend in that while many other factors were deemed more likely to influence the way a person reacts to, responds to, or perceives others, perception has been, based on these findings, an issue of appearance no less than it is a matter of relationship. This is because it has been found that the way people will respond to strangers is very different from the way one will respond to an acquaintance or a person one has known before. Strangers are usually the best people to use to assess the way people respond to others (Davis  Lennon, 2001).

While the general appearance of a stranger might affect the responses of people to himher, psychology has proved that it more of the persons dress code and outward appearance that will influence the peoples response. This paper discusses how appearance, especially as brought about by ones dress code, influences perceptions and responses. It is especially focused on an analysis of an authoritative uniform, which is typified by law enforcement agencies.

The Essence of Human Behavior
The behavior of people is very much dependent on the cognitions of the people. This explains why the cognitive theory is widely applicable in the field of psychology and other social sciences. Human cognitives are able to determine the way people react to or perceive strangers, and the main basis is the outward appearance (Davis  Lennon, 1988). This is because given that one has had no information or knowledge of another before, it is only in what one is able to see that one can use to make decisions. Human cognitives are always seeking to be assonant, and to achieve this at all times, they have to process all information input in the mind through all senses. Sight is a very powerful sense and is especially used to assess situations. Such cognitives have come to be generally referred to as social cognitives. They are the basis of all human perceptions and so behavior, especially in the face of strangers.

First Impressions
Social cognition underscores the importance of first impressions. People are always making judgments of others and putting them in a certain context based on what their cognitives say. Regardless of the specific individual, every person will perceive another based on some forces (Davis  Lennon, 2001). Although it has been noted that people look for aspects they identify with in a stranger, this comes only after the one has made a very general assessment based on the outward appearance of that person. For instance, a military man will most likely identify with a stranger who seems to use a commanding language or one whose fatigues are casual and of military style. However, this comes after a first or initial response which is based purely on appearance or what one is able to see (Davis  Lennon, 2001).
Most of the time, the attire plays the biggest role in determining perception of people to strangers because clothing covers virtually the entire body. Then the face and the hair or head dress, the other visible parts of the body, are considered (Davis  Lennon, 2001). The kind and nature of shoes worn also matters a lot just as is any other makeup. It has been noted that every individual will most likely categorize an object the first time one meets it in order to reduce the complexity that is usually brought about by the world of the stimulus. As noted earlier, it is this complexity that tends to make an individuals cognitives to be at dissonance instead of remaining assonant (Davis  Lennon, 2001).

Behavior and Personality Profiles
The way people behave and respond to strangers is also an indication of the underlying personality profile of the people. Different people will behave and respond differently based on their perception of others (Surrette et al., 2003). Every police officer tends to have a personality profile that is typical of all other officers and the slight differences are brought about by the geographical location of the officer and where one has been brought up. Usually, police officers tend to exhibit a personality profile which is typical of their work. For instance, regardless of their gender, they tend to be more assertive and will desire to relate well with the society. They also have an ability to respond well and fast enough to crises, including having a high level of alertness (Surrette et al., 2003).

Every police officer will most likely be highly extroverted, very outgoing and less prone to emotional breakdowns. They have a strong innate power to guard their emotions and can manage to recover from shocks very easily and quickly (Surrette et al., 2003). They are more cheerful, and will prefer engaging themselves in matters that are practical in nature.  Both genders of the law enforcers, surprisingly, are more likely to exhibit characteristics which are largely similar. Behavior-wise, both female and male officers tend to do all in their power to portray to others a good image of themselves, and to be more energetic. They also seem to be less depressed even when matters are not favorable (Surrette et al., 2003).

The Power of the Uniform
It has been noted that some people have a phobia for people in authority such as policemen or their seniors at the place of work (Surrette et al., 2003). This is never because the person feared is bad or acts badly but because the uniform itself symbolizes something that arouses feelings of fear. A police officer in uniform will most likely be received less warmly by a community than the same officer in civilian attire. The underlying factor is that clothing can give one a certain appearance and so make people view that person differently (Singer  Singer, 2001). Priming is a theoretical principle which has been used to explain this phenomenon, as other theories have. Priming finds application in a case where first impressions of a police officer dressed in uniform have made someone to know that such officers are capable of protecting one but can also mean arrest and so confinement (Craig, 2005).

Psychology behind an authoritative uniform on the person perceiving this officer has it that one will rate the officer highly or lowly depending on past incidences. The category where the officer will be placed on subsequent encounters will be more influenced by how often the observer has encountered other officers in uniform (Singer  Singer, 2001). Priming is essentially based on the fact that the stimuli that are repeatedly used by the observer will tend to play out on ones cognitives more than those that are not used as frequently. It is almost as though ones cognitives are conditioned to expect a certain outcome from a person dressed in a certain manner. Family members and friends of police officers have often confessed that the police officer in uniform is very different from the one at home and without uniform. Police uniform is always a symbol of authority (Singer  Singer, 2001).

Behavior Prediction
There has been a need for the police force to select officers who will best carry out their duties effectively and well. Therefore, behavior prediction has become an almost natural order in police recruitment (Singer  Singer, 2001). By focusing on traits and personalities that typify a potential good officer, recruitment agencies have been successfully getting to know who to select and who to leave out. Typical traits include practicability, relating well with the people, assertiveness, psychological maturity, high level of alertness, assertiveness, fast recovery from shock, among many others (Jaikin et al., 1974).

Conclusion
The perception of people, especially police officers, has always been based on their uniforms and general outward appearance. People use their cognitives to categorize others in groups based on their past experiences with similar people or, as in the case of strangers, based purely on the impressions on the observer. Behavior has been determined based on the personality profiles of police officers making it possible for the recruitment agencies of police officers to be better placed to select capable officers. The first impressions, therefore, play a great role in the perceptions of people, and the outcome is that people will always be categorized on this basis.