Criminal Psychology: Inside the Mind of a Criminal
What is Criminal Psychology?
Although there is no definite definition, criminal psychology does play a vital role in investigating crimes. Criminal Psychology, otherwise known as Forensic Psychology is defined as a form of psychology that mainly focuses on offenders and their wills, intentions, reactions and all that partakes under criminal behavior. This study revolves around a cause-effect relationship. In this profession, Criminal Psychologists are called into court to help give a better understanding of the mental aspect of a criminal, and how it affects their behavior. They do so by the use of Criminal Profiling, a major process of criminal psychology where information that is gathered …show more content…
Through time, the term psychopath was further divided, even as far as producing 16 characteristics of psychopaths under The Mask of Sanity. In 1991, Dr. Robert Hare created a system to measure the levels of psychopathy in people at a 40 point scale, called the Psychopathy Checklist. It withholds some of the same characteristics listed in the Mask of Sanity but further breaks them down to key factors that, with the right combination can reflect in a person likely to be psychotic.
Research.
While Munsterberg was the first recognized psychologist for his research in applied psychology, other significant figures had a similar interest in the accuracy of memory, each doing their own research pertaining to the subject.
In the year 1893, James Cattell, an American psychologist did a study involving 56 college students and four questions:
1. Do chestnut or oak trees lose their leaves earlier in the autumn?
2. Do horses in the field stand with head or tail to the …show more content…
And in 1931, Howard Brutt, another former student of Munsterberg published the first psychology textbook entitled Legal Psychology, which was fixated more towards industrial psychology rather than the connection between law and psychology. But surely, industrial psychology has some relevance to criminal psychology overall. Just as a person’s behavior can be influenced by their background, it can also be influenced simply from where a person is
What is Criminal Psychology?
Although there is no definite definition, criminal psychology does play a vital role in investigating crimes. Criminal Psychology, otherwise known as Forensic Psychology is defined as a form of psychology that mainly focuses on offenders and their wills, intentions, reactions and all that partakes under criminal behavior. This study revolves around a cause-effect relationship. In this profession, Criminal Psychologists are called into court to help give a better understanding of the mental aspect of a criminal, and how it affects their behavior. They do so by the use of Criminal Profiling, a major process of criminal psychology where information that is gathered …show more content…
Through time, the term psychopath was further divided, even as far as producing 16 characteristics of psychopaths under The Mask of Sanity. In 1991, Dr. Robert Hare created a system to measure the levels of psychopathy in people at a 40 point scale, called the Psychopathy Checklist. It withholds some of the same characteristics listed in the Mask of Sanity but further breaks them down to key factors that, with the right combination can reflect in a person likely to be psychotic.
Research.
While Munsterberg was the first recognized psychologist for his research in applied psychology, other significant figures had a similar interest in the accuracy of memory, each doing their own research pertaining to the subject.
In the year 1893, James Cattell, an American psychologist did a study involving 56 college students and four questions:
1. Do chestnut or oak trees lose their leaves earlier in the autumn?
2. Do horses in the field stand with head or tail to the …show more content…
And in 1931, Howard Brutt, another former student of Munsterberg published the first psychology textbook entitled Legal Psychology, which was fixated more towards industrial psychology rather than the connection between law and psychology. But surely, industrial psychology has some relevance to criminal psychology overall. Just as a person’s behavior can be influenced by their background, it can also be influenced simply from where a person is