Critical Case: Friendship and Professionalism

These 10 Learning Resources – Cases were designed under the Critical Incidents Technique approach. A case describes unpredictable, unplanned and uncontrolled events that can be defined as compelling moments with enormous consequences for personal development and change and allows individuals to acknowledge previously unknown personal features.

A critical incident can be considered a moment of crisis which can reinforce an attitude, behaviour, or change. Critical incidents are created by the way the observer looks at the situation. It is an interpretation of the significance of the event. To take something as a critical incident is a value judgement made and the basis of that judgement is the meaning attached to the incident.

This technique can generate several training resources and be applied in several training contexts. However, it is paramount to define the aim of the activity where the incidents will be used and the specific field of action since the observed behaviour is only meaningful within a specific context. Within the training context, a critical incident is a given situation where the behaviour is described so that another observer would describe it the same way. The observable consequences of the behaviour are clear and explicit. These cases can prepare prison officers to respond to these events, providing them with critical thinking and reflective action skills.