Forensic Psychology: Applications, Types of Offenders, and Psychological Assessment

Posted on Sep 1, 2024 in Psychology and Sociology

Forensic Psychology: An Overview

Look and Lee defined legal psychology as applied psychology in the practice of law. This is traditionally called Forensic Psychology.

Psycho-legal expertise and its methodology are founded on Forensic Psychology. A professional who reports to judges or courts is called a Forensic Psychologist.

Roles of Forensic Psychologists

Criminal Matters

• The coroner, often the first expert to examine the offender or victim, issues a preliminary report and collaborates with other experts during hearings.
• Exemption from duties in juvenile matters, where expertise is legally attributed to technical teams.

Civil Affairs

• Issuing findings in disability, witness, or involuntary causes.
• Limited intervention in family matters in courts with dedicated forensic psychologists.

Areas of Expertise in Forensic Psychology

Criminal Jurisdiction

• Criminal Investigation (e.g., mass crime, psychological autopsy)
• Competency to stand trial
• Professional secrecy and malpractice cases
• Credibility of statements
• Criminal liability and attribution of mental disorders
• Risk assessment and dangerousness prediction
• Mental disorders contraindicating imprisonment
• Mental disorders arising after sentencing
• Forensic victimology (e.g., injury assessment, psychological scars, psychosocial vulnerability, crisis intervention)
• Juvenile risk assessment

Civil Jurisdiction

• Legal incapacitation (e.g., spendthrift)
• Guardianship and curatorship eligibility
• Legal empowerment
• Capacity to marry
• Annulment, separation, and divorce
• Child custody, visitation, and placement recommendations
• Family mediation
• Testamentary capacity and will challenges
• Involuntary commitment
• Informed consent

Labor Jurisdiction

• Work-related accidents and occupational diseases
• Temporary and permanent disability assessments

Administrative Litigation Jurisdiction

• Driving license and weapons permits
• Incapacity for work assessments
• State responsibility
• Ownership of potentially dangerous animals

Military Jurisdiction

• Disaster intervention
• Exclusions from military service and professional capacity evaluations
• Liability assessments
• Hostage negotiation

Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction

• Annulment
• Dissolution of marriage
• Exemptions

Prison Forensic Psychology

• Individualized program development
• Permit recommendations
• Assessment of mental disorders arising after sentencing

Approaches to Criminological Knowledge

1. Criminal Personality
2. Criminogenic Society
3. Interactionist Perspective (Justice System as a potential source of violence)
4. Victimological Approach
5. Preventive Approach

Victimology

Defined in 1973 as the scientific study of victims, particularly victims of crime.

Understanding Obsessions

Obsessions are intrusive, repetitive thoughts that a person recognizes as irrational but cannot control. Types of obsessions include:

• Obsessive thoughts: Intrusive words or phrases.
• Obsessive doubts: Uncertainty about previous actions.
• Obsessive impulses: Urges to perform actions that are often aggressive, dangerous, or embarrassing.

Classification of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV)

The DSM-IV uses a multiaxial system to diagnose mental illness across five axes:

• Axis I: Clinical disorders (excluding personality disorders and mental retardation).
• Axis II: Personality disorders and mental retardation.
• Axis III: Relevant medical conditions.
• Axis IV: Psychosocial and environmental problems.
• Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF).

Psychopathy vs. Sociopathy

Psychopathy

Psychopaths have difficulty controlling antisocial impulses due to a possible biological basis. Socialization processes have little effect on their behavior.

Sociopathy

Sociopaths develop antisocial behavior due to inadequate socialization and parenting, rather than inherent biological factors.

Antisocial Personalities

Characterized by a persistent pattern of antisocial behavior. Sociopaths, the largest group, often lack empathy and have experienced incompetent parenting. Some exhibit aggression, fearlessness, sensation-seeking, or manipulative tendencies.

Subtypes of Sociopathic Personality

1. Common Sociopath: Resulting from poor parenting and negative social environments.
2. Alignment Sociopath: Characterized by a failure of empathy and difficulty forming attachments.
   • Unaffiliated: Lack of affective fitness due to neglectful parenting.
   • Disempathic: Restricted circle of empathy, treating most people as objects.
   • Hostile: Repudiate society and exhibit hostility due to alienation or inability to achieve goals.
   • Swindled: Rationalize antisocial behavior by believing societal rules don’t apply to them.
3. Aggressive Sociopath: Derive satisfaction from dominating and harming others.
4. Sociopathic Conduct: Normal individuals who adopt the predatory subculture of gangs or terrorist groups.

Psychopathy in Detail

Psychopathy is a nonspecific term indicating a psychological source of conduct disorder. Popularly, it’s associated with heinous crimes, but the technical definition differs.

Subtypes of Psychopathy

1. Temperamental Psychopaths (Organic Episodes): Well-socialized individuals experiencing episodic organic disorders that affect emotional and mental stability.
2. Choleric Temperament Psychopaths: Prone to anger and aggression.
3. Hypersexual Psychopaths: Exhibit an excessive preoccupation with sexual urges.
4. Anxious Psychopaths: Find reinforcement in criminal activity to alleviate anxiety.
5. Hysterical Psychopaths: Display psychopathic tendencies intermittently, lacking consistent feelings of apprehension or remorse.

Primary vs. Secondary Psychopathy

• Primary Psychopaths: Choose crime as an occupation, lacking empathy and remorse. They often come from stable backgrounds and resist socialization efforts.
• Secondary Psychopaths: Similar to primary psychopaths but experience guilt and introversion.

Serial Murder vs. Mass Murder

Classification of Serial Murderers

• Organized Serial Murderer: Carefully plans murders based on fantasies, exhibits control, adaptability, and often collects souvenirs from victims.
• Disorganized Serial Murderer: Often mentally ill, acts impulsively, leaves evidence at the crime scene, and may experience psychosis or borderline personality disorder.

Delusional Themes

Delusions are false beliefs firmly held despite evidence to the contrary. Common themes include:

1. Persecution: Belief of being pursued or monitored.
2. Harm: Conviction that someone intends to cause harm.
3. Reference: Belief that objects, events, or actions hold special meaning.
4. Grandiosity: Exaggerated sense of self-importance or identity.
5. Guilt or Worthlessness: Belief in being responsible for negative events.
6. Nihilistic: Belief that body parts are missing or non-existent.
7. Hypochondriacal: Preoccupation with having a serious illness.
8. Jealous: Unfounded suspicion of infidelity.
9. Erotomanic: Belief that someone of higher status is in love with them.
10. Control: Feeling controlled by external forces.
11. Affiliation: Belief in having children with different parents, often those of high status.
12. Religious: Belief in being a religious figure or having a special relationship with God.
13. Thought Insertion: Belief that thoughts are being implanted by others.
14. Thought Withdrawal: Belief that thoughts are being stolen.
15. Thought Broadcasting: Belief that others can hear their thoughts.

Aggression, Assault, and Violence

• Aggression: A theoretical construct encompassing motor behavior, physiology, and subjective experience.
• Assault: Aggressive behavior characterized by transitivity, directionality, and intent to harm.
• Violence: The inappropriate use of force or power, regardless of intent.

Neurological Factors in Aggression

• Hypothalamus: Regulates neuroendocrine functions associated with aggression. Different regions are associated with predatory attacks, emotional aggression, and escape responses.
• Amygdala: Involved in defensive reactions like anger and aggression. Lesions can reduce aggression and normalize social behavior.
• Neurotransmitters: Dopamine may increase aggression, while GABA may inhibit it.

Frustration and Aggression

Frustration, the blocking of goal-directed behavior, is a central factor in aggression. It can arise from internal or external stimuli and involve deprivation or threat.

Psychological Autopsy

A process of data collection and analysis focusing on the deceased’s life leading up to death. It involves interviews with family, friends, and professionals to understand the circumstances and potential causes of death.

Categories for Inclusion in a Psychological Autopsy

1 .- Information to identify the victim, (name, age, address, marital status, religion, employment, other details …)
2 .- Details of the death, (including the cause or method and other relevant details).
3 .- A brief summary of the history of the victim. (siblings, marriage, medical conditions, medical treatment, psychotherapy, suicide attempts).
4 .- History of deaths in the family of the victim, (suicide, cancer other fatal diseases, age at death, and other details).
5 .- Description of the personality and lifestyle of the victim.
6 .- Typical patterns of reaction to stress, emotional disorders, and periods of disequilibrium of the victim.
7 .- Any anger, pressure, tension, or anticipations of recent problems a few days to 12 months.
8 .- The role of alcohol or drugs, the lifestyle of the victim and his death.
9 .-Nature of interpersonal relations of the victim. (Including doctors).
10 .- fantasies, dreams, thoughts, hunches, or the victim’s fears related to death, accident or suicide.
11 .- Changes in the victim before death, (habits, hobbies, eating patterns and sexual, and other routines).
12 .- Information regarding the side of the life of the victim, (improvements, successes, plans).
13 .- Evaluation of the intention, that is, the role of victims in their own end.
14 .- Estimated fatality.
15 .- Reaction of the respondents to the death of the victim.
16 .- Comments, special features, etc..
· (TYPE)
Ronald Holme (1989) distinguishes 4 basic types of rapists: affirmation, power, revenge, predatory and sadistic.