Criminal Psychology

Psychology is a collection of academic, clinical and industrial disciplines concerned with the explanation and prediction of behavior, thinking, emotions, motivations, relationships, potentials and pathologies. It might be said that many related disciplines live under the same name including: experimental psychology, which focuses on basic and applied science; humanistic psychology, which uses qualitative research rather than conventional statistical methods to investigate the subjective experience of human beings; clinical psychology and counselling psychology, which focus primarily on helping people overcome or better manage pathologies as well as transcend perceived limitations; and Industrial/Organizational Psychology, which applies psychological principles to people working in organizations.

The investigative technique, most commonly referred to as criminal profiling, has recently risen in popularity both in practical use and media portrayals. A quick visit to any bookstore will reveal the popularity of the true crime section, and the recent flood of fiction works with a likable lead detective who profiles the offender is equal in volume.

Depending on the literature one reads, the professional development of profiling over the past several decades will most likely be attributed to the work of the Behavioral Sciences Unit (BSU) at the FBI Academy, Quantico, Virginia. More specifically, a few key agents will be known by name, if not by reputation, including John Douglas, Robert Ressler and Roy Hazelwood amongst others. Many of the mass-market conceptions often include an agent as a representative of the BSU working on the case with local law enforcement. While the role of the Bureau in the development of profiling cannot be denied, they are often afforded a greater involvement in criminal investigations than they have in reality, and many of the agents (current and retired) are often attributed with developing methods that were in place before they even reached the FBI.

Profiling most notably can be traced back to work done in the latter part of the last century, and possibly before this in a variety of forms. There has been a definite growth since this early work, with a diverse array of individuals doing a great deal of both research and practical work in criminal profiling