Exploring the combat mindset approach during a major prison riot

This autoethnographic study explores the mindset of prison officers in a prison riot in Oslo, Norway, addressing two research questions (RQs): RQ1: How does a prison officer’s experience during a riot align with the concept of a well-functioning combat mindset? RQ2: Is there a need for more stressful training scenarios for prison officers to foster this mindset? To explore our two RQs, we analyzed a prison officer’s autoethnographic account of a full-scale riot. Findings indicate that the officer’s experience of dealing with a situation with extreme stress supports the combat mindset concept, affirming the first research question. The study also concludes that extensive training is necessary to develop controlled aggression to the situation at hand, not resulting in serious injury. Training is crucial in order to manage high-stress situations effectively, supporting the second research question. This case study underscores the importance of a well-functioning combat mindset for security professionals, achieving balanced responses under extreme stress in order to deal with people who have the intention to harm others in frontline operations.