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Personality Characteristics and Criminal Behavior
 
A particular set of personality characteristics does not turn a person into a criminal. However, criminals may have the same set of characteristics. This concept may not be easy to understand. Here is another example: all college graduates have attended college, but not everyone who attended college is a college graduate. The mistake that "if A then B" is the same as "if B then A" is a common one in research, criminal investigation, and profiling.
 
Criminal profiling is a difficult task. Complete the following three parts and present them in your report.
 
Part I
Identify at least five offense characteristics of each of the following crimes: sex offense, murder, acquisitive crime, organized crime, and terrorism.
 
Part II
Choose two offenses for those listed in Part I. Using the selected characteristics, complete the following for each of the two offenses you selected:
 
Analyze the selected characteristics to develop a forensic profile for that particular type of offense. For example, how would you use the two offense characteristics you have selected for murder to develop inferences regarding the personality of a murderer?
Explain how an offender's level of cognitive and emotional functioning, as well as social and environmental factors, could contribute to his or her maladaptive behavior in each of the above offenses.
Identify and justify the types of tests and/or personality measures that might be used to gather additional information for each of the two offenses.
Identify and justify the type of collateral information you would need to learn about the offender in the case of each of the two crimes.
Part III
Identify the differences between ethical standards in a criminal investigation and ethical standards in a psychological interview.
Offer your recommendations for future research needed to advance the science and research of psychological profiling techniques.
Discuss the different ethical considerations one must follow as an investigator and as a psychologist.