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Authority Under Pressure:
The Ethics and Psychology
of Decision-Making
Under Stress
Retired police lieutenant Michael Wolanski draws on more than two decades of command-level experience to guide students through a case-based analysis of authority, stress, and ethical decision-making, combining real-world incident examination with facilitated classroom discussion.
Lt. Wolanski’s presentation provided our students with a rare opportunity to examine real-world decision-making through structured ethical and psychological frameworks…”
Dawn Flanders
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminal Justice Program Coordinator
at Sussex County Community College
and Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at Seton Hall University
Focus Areas
Examines how professionals process and grow from critical incidents, using the case study to explore the psychological and ethical pathways through which adversity can lead to deeper professional insight and accountability.
About Michael
Following first-hand involvement in a critical line-of-duty incident, Ret. Lt. Wolanski’s professional perspective shifted toward examining how decisions made under extreme stress are later understood and evaluated by both individuals and institutions.
Student Reflections
“Seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours…it showed how stress can distort what someone believes they saw and remembered in the moment.”
— Seton Hall Student
“Professionals in positions of authority have to look at themselves in the mirror and evaluate their own decisions from an outside perspective.”
— Seton Hall Student
“He could have accepted the praise he was receiving, but instead he asked people to show him where he might have been wrong.”
- Seton Hall Student
Engagement Options
01
Guest Lecture + Discussion
45-50 minute structured lecture followed by a 15-20 minute moderated discussion.
02
Extended Seminar + Workshop
Full lecture presentation followed by a role-based workshop analysis examining the incident from multiple professional perspectives with facilitated discussion.
Tailored For:
-
Criminal Justice programs examining discretion and institutional accountability
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Psychology courses focused on stress and cognitive processing
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Leadership and Ethics Seminars exploring authority and responsibility
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Public Administration programs analyzing oversight and organizational culture
