Psychology Articles

After having dealt with a number of the type, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a predatory subspecies in humanity that needs people to pick on and that would do everything in its power to ensure that their prey remains with them or within their striking reach.

Typically this predatory subspecies has lots of stated reasons for its behavior. The main one is portraying their food as evil or dangerous, thus deserving of being preyed upon. Not only do the members of this subspecies drill this concept into the heads of their food in order to keep it; they drill it as well into the heads of other people, denying their food a way out.

Many members of this subspecies find their ways into positions of power and authority, where they can keep preying on people in the name of law, religion, family or the country. Overtly the worst wind up as prison guards and make a career out of sadism. But we also see similar predatory behavior in any number of judges, teachers, policemen, priests, imams, mental health professionals and social workers, as well of course as any number of people who become parents.

This predatory subspecies is driven by two considerations: Being able to prey upon people, and being able to get away with it. Their strategy toward the latter is to prey on people in ways that other people see as legitimate. While some of these qualities are found in any number of people who become criminals, the criminals are amateurs at this trade; whereas prison guards, teachers and judges are pros. A professional will beat an amateur in most cases; and the more effective predatory types find ways to do it legally and with the sanction of society or community behind them.

The professional predators therefore rarely get called on their behavior; and the people who do call them on it are typically subjected to danger. Which means that most of these people not only get away with it but get to claim that they are doing it for the sake of everybody else. Confronting a professional predator is therefore more demanding than is confronting a criminal; and the worst of the type don’t wind up behind bars but rather running society.

There has been research in recent years into the sociopathic personality disorder; but I decline to state that these people are sociopaths. I’ve known one person who had that diagnosis, and she did not do things of this sort. Whereas, with say police corruption, we see it done by whole departments and then not done by them any longer when credible efforts are taken to correct the problem; and it would be unlikely that, in those situations, the entire police departments consist of sociopaths who then stop being sociopaths when they are put to scrutiny for their misdeeds.

The most effective predators therefore become authority figures and learn how to prey on people with others’ approval. The school bully becomes the policeman, the politician, the judge, the defender of the community, the military personnel. The immature form of predatory behavior becomes the mature form of predatory behavior. And this predatory behavior becomes a vast influence in society to turn it into the worst thing that it can be.

Ilya Shambat

Just imagine being given a jail sentence merely because we could not handle our emotions. Think of the public outcry! But conjure with the idea of being given a thirty, forty, even a fifty or sixty year sentence! The level of public indignation about our human rights would surely dwarf any riots we have seen. Add a final insult and tag us 24 hours a day to remind us of our emotional disorders, and the fury would erupt. Yet this is exactly what many of us do to ourselves. We impose life sentences of emotional self-imprisonment and tag ourselves!

And the metaphor gets even more real and even more horrifying, the more one dwells on it.

Because of trauma, shock, hurt or abuse, we can and we do sentence ourselves more harshly still. We commit ourselves to solitary confinement, guarding our inner most emotional secrets with a level of zeal and shame with is extraordinary. This personal imposition can also originate from guilt, abandonment, rejection, or from humiliation, bullying or molestation.

Yet in our hearts we know that were there ever to be any appropriate system of emotional courts with judge and jury, none would convict us as severely as we have done to ourselves. None would find our case proved as warranting such a fierce punishment.

But just focus on this metaphor one more time- when we have the highest criminal prison population on record. And now ponder on the fact that a vast number of us – walking the streets apparently free, have nevertheless imprisoned ourselves in unresolved emotions!

And our level of commitment to the sentence can be astonishing. It can involve a vow of silence and secrecy to ourselves – something we determine to take our grave. This we can deem preferable to a mistaken belief that if we unburden ourselves we will be emotionally pilloried until our death by relatives and friends, and that should be avoided at all cost!

More weird, emotionally speaking, even when the underlying cause can have been in no way of our making or our fault, we still seek to deny that to ourselves and then compound the denial by buying deeper into the shame, humiliation and rejection as if somehow we deserved it!

That can set in train yet more entangled and constraining behavioural thinking. We can use this misconceived buy-in as a stick to beat ourselves harder than anyone else with the same knowledge ever would – or should. And why ever do we do this? Because we have let ourselves think it is our just desserts! The ‘tagging’ is provided by our self-talk which we encourage sub-consciously to reinforce our worst thoughts about ourselves

And paradoxically we can find we draw strength from our apparent courage and fortitude to shoulder it on our own, when few around us would see any sense or justification in that.

I think it is fair to say that Time once was when maybe this emotional flagellation was deemed to be part of being human and living a human life. Not enough was known then about psychology and the impact of our behavioural thinking.

But no more! No longer is that true. Irrefutable psychological and behavioural truths pile up one on top of another – from one research project after another – each revealing to us ever more about our human nature. More welcome still they reveal to us how we can neutralise and re-frame our reactions to horrific indignities we have endured.

The benefits of encouraging ourselves to end our self-imprisonment, to give ourselves emotional parole and to re-configure the emotional memories and patterns are now well documented.

Why? If for no other reason, because we know now it is no longer necessary for we humans to endure it. And nor is it justified any longer to inflict our emotional shortcomings on others, young or old, for them to replicate what we have done and to resort to emotional self-imprisonment for themselves.

So we should at least talk about these things, share them and unashamedly seek help to understand them. We should cherish the reality that none of us are perfect, that we are unique and most particularly we are blessed with the ability to cure ourselves emotionally.

And if that is not enough, then quite simply accept that we do not deserve this toxic form of imprisonment when help is now at hand. There are number of good proprietary self-discovery books and programmes available to find a new level of happiness.

I strongly recommend you look at the Hoffman Process and at a book called “You Can Change Your Life” by Tim Laurence. Alternatively you may find it helpful to read the self-discovery novel. “Squaring Circles” which I have written. It deals with emotional patterning such as this. It is available from http://www.amazon.co.uk of from http://www.squaringcircles.co.uk in paperback or online through most UK bookshops. I wish you well.

When people are asked” what is forensic psychology?”, they usually think of the criminal profilers seen on movies and television shows, when this is only a fraction of what happens in reality. In its most basic definition, forensic psychology is the application of the psychology practice within the law and the legal system. The word “forensic” originated from the Latin word “forensis” which means “of the forum” referring to the Imperial court in ancient Rome. This relatively new specialized branch of psychology was only given official recognition by the American Psychological Association in 2001.

The portrayal of forensic psychology in popular shows, books and movies caused a surge of interest in the field, especially for the past few years. However, these are glamorized depictions of the profession and are not entirely accurate. The people who practice forensic psychology aren’t strictly “forensic psychologists.” They could also be clinical psychologists or child psychologists, but their expertise or knowledge might be required to provide assessment, testimony and recommendations in legal cases. Some of their roles include determining an individual’s competency to stand trial, mental health assessment in insanity plea cases, and specialized forensic assessment of an individual’s personality. For instance, a clinical psychologist might be asked to assess the mental health of a suspect or a child psychologist will be asked to evaluate children subjected to abuse or prepare them for court testimony in criminal or child custody cases.

Forensic psychologists work in jails, police departments, law firms, rehabilitation centers or government agencies and deal directly with lawyers, defendants, victims, families or patients within these institutions. Their responsibilities within correctional institutions involve regular psychological assessments, individual and group therapy sessions, anger or crisis management and other court-ordered evaluations. The work of forensic psychology also includes working with the police departments, to evaluate law enforcement personnel and provide training on criminal profiling and other relevant courses. There are also those who prefer academic pursuits in universities to do further research on criminology, law and the human behavior. Analyzing crime trends, criminal profiling and effective mental health treatments are some of the topics covered by forensic psychology.

What separates this branch from other fields like clinical psychology is that forensic psychology is limited to specific duties in every individual case, such as providing advice on the suspect’s mental capacity to face charges. Learning the answers to “what is forensic psychology?” means dealing with individuals who are getting evaluation and treatment not by choice, unlike in the usual clinical setting where clients volunteer to seek help.

They are also called to provide expert testimony but they must be knowledgeable enough of the legal system to be called as a credible witness for the case. Majority of their role is preparing and delivering their testimony and translating it to legal terms, which has been more challenging since lawyers know how to undermine or discredit psychological opinions. There have been cases of malingering or feigning illnesses so psychologists should know how to recognize the real symptoms as well as evaluate the consistency of information across different sources. A great part of understanding the answer to “what is forensic psychology” means being able to explain or reformulate psychological terms or principles within a legal framework.

For more great information about different branches of psychology, you will want to visit http://whatisforensicpsychology.org/

Have you ever wondered who is in prison? Many of us read the newspaper, and many read the online papers. We watch television and listen to the radio. Some of us enjoy watching detective, and who done it shows. Some of us have suffered at the hands of a convicted person. Does the “system” really work? I know that we all have our opinions about that. Do you know someone in prison, or someone working for or in a prison? What kinds of people end up in prison and what kind of person does it take to work in a prison?

Having worked in a state maximum-security prison for a number of years, I have encountered all kinds of various inmates as well as varied types of officers and administration. In the state where I was employed, there are no actual city jails, and very few, if any, holding tanks or sleep it off areas.

This leaves a wide range of people both passing through and those staying for a while all in the same area. Those waiting for hearing and those convicted are in different housing units. However, there can be varied suspects for varied alleged crimes all held in the same area until convicted. That would mean someone picked up on drunk driving charges would or could be kept in the same cell with a rapist or molester. Someone being held for robbery could be in the same cell with someone being held for late or unpaid child support. Failure to appear in court for traffic fines could also be held in the same cell with a drug dealer.

There are exceptions for murder, or high-profile crimes, or people. If someone was picked up on drug charges but does not produce identification, this person could be wanted in another state for robbery or murder and no one would know that. Placing this person with someone in for a first offence could be hazardous to many people for many reasons.

This is a good reason for the countrywide new identification cards. I do believe departmental sharing of information, statewide and countrywide about criminals, is a very good idea. This is a better way to protect those that are innocent and those on their first stint in a prison.

How many times has someone said, “The system doesn’t work”? Rehabilitation is only for those that want to be rehabilitated. For those that love to live fast and die young, that is not an option. Having an open ear in many different prison housing units, I have heard many, “old heads”, telling the newer or younger convicts to be a model prisoner and to not make waves or stand out. They are told to do what is right and what is expected. When a review or change of security level is at hand, they will be successful in making their stay shorter. For those convicted, short timers, there are so many things to look out for. There is a need to stay away from certain prisoner types. If some kind of caution is not taken, then a six-month stay could end up being six years.

Dealing with the criminal mind does not take place in a prison setting. Once someone has been incarcerated, there are now two different minds to deal with. Survival has now become very prevalent for most inmates. Then there are those inmates no longer having a reason to live. Remember, I am talking about those that have just become incarcerated.

For those who have accepted their fate and have settled in for a long or permanent stay, they are another kind of person. This person’s mind can be on the fence or really needed that type of lifestyle filled with discipline and structure.

Lets take a moment and look at the person that will be a model prisoner and rehabilitate. There are two types of inmate who will do everything right, and will follow through with everything asked of them. Only one will be successful in continuing with rehabilitation after release. The old saying that history repeats itself should be considered when offering rehabilitation for model prisoners. Checking the history of convictions should be considered. There is a greater percentage of those repeat offenders who return to prison, than those that go on to lead productive lives, and offer something back to society.

So, does the “system” really work? I don’t want to sway anyone one-way or the other. All we ever see is what we are told. How often does someone actually get to be a part of a study or find out for his or her self? I’m sure not very many of us, law-abiding citizens, really want to experience the system for ourselves.

Don’t have a poor opinion about the prison or the people working there. They have the same office politics every business has. They also have a few more things on their plate that offers for a higher stress level of a work place. Worrying about the boss or fellow workers is standard in every work place. But now, their lives are at risk as well as their reputations both at work, and in the public eye.

Like every work place, there are many different standards we are all asked to uphold. There are the workers and there is the administration. But that will be an article that stands on its own.

Pernell Rodocker had worked for many years as an officer in a maximum-security setting. This article has been born of on hand experience and should be considered informational as well as one opinion for such a setting. Everyone has an opinion on just about everything, but experience is wisdom.

The United States is faced with a myriad of issues concerning its youth. There is the growing number of them who are dropping out of school. Many become involve in criminality such as gang violence and illegal drug trafficking. They are viewed as rebellious, lewd, and disobedient to authority. They are known to be full of angst, perversion and amorality. A great number of them are apathetic to social issues and reject the ideals of their community. They are known to detest values, law and norms. Because of these concerns, many would agree to the contention that the youth fails to effectively participate in terms of Social Interaction.

The idea is that their culture, psyche and views are out of sync from the rest of mainstream society. The institutions of the community have the notion that there is nothing wrong with the social climate. Instead it is the youth that is aberrant to the social unit. Whether this is true or not the point is that there is a significant failure in terms of Social Interaction. This integral process is severely diminished in the status quo. The rest of the society share little and in some respects nothing in common with the youth through which genuine psycho – social exchange may transpire.

Social Interaction is vital to the society because it is the actualization of the social nature of the human being. This is a simple matter of action and reaction. The difference is that the individuals involved in the process experience both the transmission of his or her relative self to the other thus causing a reaction in the latter. The simple example can be given for this is the interaction of two persons. The 1st expresses himself to the 2nd person. In turn the 2nd person integrates what the first conveyed. At the same time, the 2nd person also transmits his relative self to the 1st person and in turn latter will also integrate the expression of the former.

In the context of the United States, the experience of its youth in fact is reprehensible. This nation which is known as the bastion of expression keeps it teens from expressing themselves by saying that what they have to convey is lewd or degenerate. This country which is the champion of tolerance and diversity force upon its young citizens a uniform and prejudicial set of norms that when violated would result in punishment. Many issues can be pointed out as a matter of failed Social Interaction. Gay Marriages, Abortion, Drug Use and Pop Culture are social dimensions that insulate the nation from being able to integrate and effectively have Social Interaction with the youth.

Is it really the youth that is alienated, disconnected and in direct opposition to society? Upon close examination of the factors and conditions of the status quo it is not their fault exclusively. The diversity and complexity of Social Interaction preclude a determination of a primal cause. However, it is the responsibility of the rest of the community given their maturity and experience to understand the youth. Instead of constant condemnation and ridicule why not allow them to integrate in their own way in the social scheme.

The youth’s inclination to reject values is in part due to the practice of force feeding it to them. Their abhorrence for authority is brought about by repression and intolerance against even the slightest deviance. When they merely reflect the actual social climate of their time, which is adverse, challenging and conflicted they are alienated by the society that brands them as angst filled just to cover up the fact that they would rather live in social self repression and denial of the truth around them.

pwesker http://www.healthhelpingcare.com

Profiling is a science of observation, study and exploitation of traces of a crime scene, a person, or an animal to determine the relevance of such traces to an investigated crime, event or personality and behavior in general.

Anthropological and Psychological profiling

Profiling consists of several major types:

Cultural profiling

Racial profiling

Predictive profiling

Forensic information technology

Drug profiling

Offender profiling

Digital image forensic

DNA profiling

Performance profiling

The information obtained from profiling is known as forensic, such information is widely relied upon by judiciary systems, such as courts, and police enforcement agencies to determine what happens in a crime scene and help in assumption of criminal behavior.

However, such information is not restricted to the use of such bodies, but rather extends to assisting observers to broaden the comprehension of studied cases or individuals when applied by intelligence agencies or any security related bodies.

Profiling and forensic profiling is used in all fields of studies and not only humans, in fact, this science is developing and advancing very rapidly despite scientific criticism to its viable application.

Generally, forensic profiling refers to the profiling practices of discovering the correlation between acquired data related to studied subject or case as an identifying process and a categorization of groups and data acquired, such as nominal data (persons or objects and their relation due to an investigation) and crime data which is physical tracks of criminal activities on crime scenes be it a witness, a laptop or a mobile phone…

The most commonly used profiling techniques are data mining techniques, such as generating profiles based upon discovered data and the relevance of its patterns.

The four phases of profiling (Gregg O McCrary):

- Antecedent: The murderer’s plan, fantasy and drive prior to committing the crime.

- Method and manner: type of selected victims and method used to commit the crime.

- Body disposal: If the murder and the body disposal took place at one or, multiple scenes.

- Post offense behavior: if the murderer tries to publicize himself by reaching the media or contacting investigators.

Profiling is based on common sense, yet its applied measures varies from culture to culture and race to race, it is an advanced investigative tool while its effectiveness is still under a lot of scientific scrutiny since it is mostly a speculative art still. An Indian would shake his head from left to right in an affirmative gesture or expression, while a Caucasian by doing so would indicate to a denial gesture or expression, an owl in the Middle East is looked upon as a bad omen, while in the west it symbolizes wisdom, and so on…

Profiling relates behavioral science and relies on observation and analysis.

It is accepted that the evolution of human racial and physical features generates from their inherited behavior due to a specific environment and way of adaptation. Lets take for instance an African negroid thick lips evolved due to an adapting process to help preserve moisture, an aborigine of Australia or Papua New Guinea developed thick eye browse to protect his eyes from sun rays, a Bedouin desert folk did so with a larger or longer nose to help him breath better in desert climate, and women living in hot and humid terrains tend to have a larger buttocks to preserve body fat etc…

Therefore; profiling relies heavily on the understanding of the subject cultural and ethical background, and that in itself is based upon relative measures and speculations.

Though profiling is regarded to be a part of science, yet a successful profiler needs to be very talented if he is to produce an effective and accurate profiling.

Profiling goes back in history to the middle ages, and Scotland Yard took it a step further, while Sherlock Holmes character made it even more popular, then there is the CSI series of late filling the rest of the empty cup of the thirsty TV shows viewers.

Remember; we apply our own spontaneous profiling in daily life by what we interpret and perceive from the body language that we use from one another.

Till the next article, may you have the best personality profile!

Adam El Masri

Adam El Masri

http://www.paradetect.com/

Abstract:
All over the World serial and mass killings occur almost daily somewhere. This criminal activity is best known in the USA and the UK where the freedoms of society allow murderers to act out their psychotic murders with the protection of rules that ensure freedom of movement, rights to silence and privacy. In the past in China society was so regulated that crime in all areas was extremely difficult to conceal. However in modern China the serial killer has emerged but with backward police and communication methods for detection they often kill for years until accidentally caught more by luck than professional investigations. In this paper we will look at the patchy criminal profile of Chinese serial killers that is starting to emerge.

Background & Cases:
China has a very strict reporting system for crime – it is after the fact reporting – so the police and government keep hidden from the public many aspects of crime as the failure of authority and police to capture or control crime means losing face. Even after a long investigation and pure luck, they actually arrest someone they pay the reward money to the police investigators not the public that provided the information to capture the killers. With this level of inefficiency and low level of intelligence and cooperation within and between police authorities it is not surprising that serial killers can operate and avoid detection for long periods of time. Most of the killers come from low educational backgrounds and rural up bring from poor families which makes it even more surprising they get away with their criminal activity for so long.

A few examples of serial killers in China it will be sufficient to give a feeling for the seriousness of the situation rather than go into detail, the writer will merely give some general overviews, and (for those who would like to know more, then a quick search of Google will suffice to see many of these cases in more detail).

A 33 year old male kills six children and molests five others by luring them to his home and then sexually abusing them and then death.
A 20 year old male murders seventeen young boys by suffocation.
A male age 20, murders ten adults by knifing.
A male truck driver, murders fourteen women, raping first then killing them.
Gang of Four thieves rob, mutilate and murder seventy seven people in their homes.
Male age 29. Known as the Red Dress Killer, murders thirteen known plus numerous attacks.
A 32 year old male, kills twenty children, sexual assault and mutilation.
The Monster Killer, male, murdered sixty five people.
Male 29 year old farmer, murders twenty three young boys age 16 to 20.
A couple lures twelve women with promise of work and then murders them.
Male 34, murders seven during shop robberies.
Unlicensed male doctor poisons over 150 victims charged with three deaths for court purposes.
Male age 38, murders ten people mainly females, including a pregnant woman and mental patient.

As you can see from the above examples compared to the serial killers in the USA or EU it is hard to compare the sheer scale of the problem in China and the amount of victims in each case is much higher than other countries reported except perhaps the USSR where mass serial killers exist. To have a successful profiling system you first have to have access to information in detail about how the crimes were committed, a good developmental background of the killer and the social environment that allowed the situation to arise in the first place.

Criminal Profiling Background:

There are two profiling systems in the world that are sufficiently funded and have had some success in detecting criminals and helping to apprehend them by assisting police to narrow down the suspects in a case and to develop a strategy to capture them.

The most well know is the criminal behavioral unit of the FBI in the USA. Although not based on any real science, it does have a lot of historical data based on past serial killers and their motives, modus operanda, interviews with convicted serial killers for biographies and background. The FBI has a basic model that they train other security forces around the World to follow, one is, data assimilation, collecting information about each case, second, crime classification, looking at the type of crime for example organized or disorganized, third, crime reconstruction, looking at victim behaviour as a clue to why they were chosen by the killer and fourth, profile generation in which an outline of the killers behaviour and motives are assessed with demographics, physical profile and likely perpetrator type. The success rate of the FBI profiling is actually very low at only 17% of profiles actually helping to an arrest. This is thought to be because the FBI’s methods are fundamentally flawed as they have no control group in which to compare and contrast results. They accept the interview often at face value from criminals that lie constantly even after arrest. The other most well known profiling methods are from the UK, mainly led by consulting psychologists who have been employed by the British police to help in difficult cases. Alas on review the UK system does not fare much better than the FBI at 16% of cases when reviewed led to an arrest based on profiling. The British system was based in science where people tend to act consistently and follow patterns of behaviour. The British system was more in-depth, looking at speech patterns, social constructs, interests and obsessions. This approach although still lacking over-all success just as with the FBI, was far more accurate when post analysis was applied. In other words, although the criminal was arrested by chance (the most common way a serial killer is caught), detection or self confession, the profiles tended to be very close to the killers real life, habits and identity although they did not actually help to catch the criminal at the time.

Profiling in China:

As far as the writer is aware of there are no profilers in China and probably very unlikely to happen due to one simple reason, there are no qualified criminal/forensic psychologists in China. Also the police here are in the main street crime orientated which is why they find it so difficult to investigate any crime that is not immediately obvious. The level of education in the police is no more than glorified security guards in most cases. Having said that – one always hopes for change. The education system at all levels in China is dogged by corruption and payments for results – and so Chinese qualifications are not trusted around the World at this time. Until they organize foolproof external examinations systems such as those in the UK and USA this will continue to be the case.

An Attempt at Profiling in China.

Taking the case studies above can we identify in China the most likely suspect in a serial killing case? Here is a preliminary outline, but by know means scientific or proven. This is just an overview of the current situation from reports surfacing after convictions.

Gender: Almost always male.
Age: 20 – 35
Education: Failed high school cannot read and write very well.
Background: Rural upbringing, countryside. Ex-army
Developmental: Mother only after divorce or abandonment.
Mental Health: delusional, grandeur, no empathy shown to victims.
Method: Suffocation, Knifing, Strangulation
Other motives: robbery
Lure/Victimology: money, offer of work
Trophies: Taken in most cases, belts, clothing, and jewelry.
Disposal of Victims: often buried, but some left at scene of crime.
Type of Victims: mainly female adults and children.
History: Most had some criminal backgrounds and prison sentences for lesser crimes.
Other: Cannibalism in one or two cases.

This outline profile of course is quite wide and based on just a few cases. However even from this we can make some useful deductions. A lack of access to guns (as in the UK too) means most murder is committed using knives or strangulation methods. Some societal restriction on the sale of hunting knives as in the UK would go some way to removing access to certain weapons. Lack of access to mental health professionals is clearly a problem in China which is stuck 50 years in the past in the hospitals using outdated psychiatric methods of drugs and confinement. Failure of the education system to support rural children who cannot pay for schooling. Lack of social opportunities makes it easy to lure victims with offers of money or work. Police should cross reference their systems of information – a central data bank – that does not currently exist in China. Most of the killers at some point were still living at home with family – not loners as such – until they started to avoid the police – then moving about from province to province made them difficult to track and find. Most serial killers are statistically married with children unlike the supposed image of the lone lunatic.

Profiling in Fiction:

One of the problems with criminal profiling is television. The first TV program to highlight the science came from the UK with a series called. Cracker in which a psychologist helps the police crack all the difficult cases of murder by smart deduction based on psychological principals. However if you analyze the content most of the outcomes were as in all fiction pure luck. In the USA, there was, Criminal Minds, this was in the beginning trying to be a serious attempt at using profiling in a scientific way but soon as most of these programs lost its way in characterization and mundane stories from any other police series and so in the end was a very poor program from a real life point of view. Other programs such as the CSI were more scientific but just as far from real life as any other TV when the series moves into later seasons. The conclusion is that TV psychology vastly over-estimates the abilities of criminal profiling and that in the real World it is just not that essential to the capture of killers who by and by get caught more by chance that any other reason. A new program called. Lie to Me, shows psychologists who use body language and micro-expressions to catch criminals out in a lie. This is pure fiction and not based on any credible science at all.

Profiling in China:

For the Chinese authorities to start to appreciate the support psychology could give to them – they first have to have a mind-set change to enable them to use more modern ways of looking at crime and victims. They need to allow research at prisons of past offenders to start to build a data- base similar to the FBI model but also to allow in-depth interview of motives by deception psychologists who would use cognitive interview techniques developed in Britain to ascertain real information. This is also difficult as most serial killers are executed every quickly after conviction in China. Also to enable cross fertilization of information across provinces without beucratic defenses. It would certainly benefit China to have a Criminal Intelligence Squad that was made up of experienced detectives, psychologists and criminologists working as a team on any crime, country-wide, with full powers over the local police force to investigate major serial killings when they occur. This would mean just like the FBI’s BU team specialists can be on call to help when the local police stumble and fail to protect the victims of crime. However even before all this – you have to have a teaching regime of criminal and forensic psychology available at university level and experienced teachers to give the courses. That is a long way off – as psychology in China is so poor in general here. The universities tend to concentrate on the soft sciences in psychology such as child development and cognitive work with little attention to the hard sciences in neuropsychology, biopsychology and abnormal psychology. You need good scientists to do forensic work otherwise it is all subjective as in the example of the TV shows that use the science as background to a drama about love and relationships within the characters of the show rather than project real life.

Conclusion:

Criminal profiling in China is a distant idea right now – the necessary backgrounds, education, experts and science are just not available in the education system or the wider society. The police are too unsophisticated and untrained to be able to handle real investigations. If it is not obvious – then forget it. Corruption with in China is still wholesale in all aspects of life and so paying off the system still happens if you are rich enough and the authorities are underpaid and under-educated and so an easy mark for taking money and turning a blind eye to crime.

As China modernizes in its cities and lifestyles, so more crime from the area of those without and those with wealth will continue. The gap now between the middle classes and the rural poor is getting wider everyday and so creating the right conditions for crime where material gain is the most important thing. In China everyone seeks money as a God and empathy for others is non-existent. Perfect society in which to breed major crimes against the person such as the serial killer.

Dr. Stephen Myler is from Leicester in England, an industrial town in the Midlands of the United Kingdom. He holds a B.Sc (Honours) in Psychology from the UKA’s Open University the largest in the UK; he also has an M.Sc and Ph.D in Psychology from Knightsbridge University in Denmark. In addition to this Stephen holds many diplomas and awards in a variety of academic areas including journalism, finance, teaching and advanced therapy for mental health. Stephen has as a Professor of Psychology many years teaching experience in colleges and universities in England and China to post 16 young adults, instructing in psychology, sociology, English, marketing and business. He has been fortunate to travel extensively from Australia to Africa to the United Sates, South America, Borneo, most of Europe and Russia. Stephen’s favourite hobby is the study of primates and likes to play badminton. He believes that students who enjoy classes with humour and enthusiasm from the teacher always come back eager to learn more.

Remorse, Regret, and Sorry are three words vital to adaptive living. These three words when practiced increase the probability of all social interactions being successful. Ignorance and/or refusal of this psychological triad lead to criminal and/or deviant behaviors with victimization as the modus operandi. Two diminutive words, “I’m Sorry”, is one of the most powerful and complex phrases expressed in communication.

Since the beginning of civilization, this phrase has been part of all societal and cultural exchanges communicated via various languages. “I’m Sorry” will always be integral to social relationships. The premise of this phrase concretely illustrates how all people are fallible creatures. Actions and/or words can offend briefly or inflict a life long psychological scar void of healing. Understanding the meaning and origins of “I’m Sorry” will assist the reader in comprehending this powerful phrase.

The actual term, Sorry, dates back to prehistoric times and theorized to derive from the West Germanic term, Sairig, a derivative of Sairaz, with the English source denoting Sore. The original definition meant both physical and psychological pain. Over hundreds of years, the word evolved into an expression of regret now coined, Sorry. Despite the resemblance, the word Sorry has no etymological connection with the term, Sorrow. This word also dates back to prehistoric Germanic language meaning “care.” Contemporary German dialect uses the word, Sorge, meaning to worry or feel sorrow.

The term, Sorry, is an adjective with a multitude of meanings defining different communications expressed in social relationships. From a reductionist standpoint, and adding the identifier, I’m, makes the phrase a form of apology and expression of regret.

The definition of apology is an expression of regret for causing someone else trouble or pain. The definition of regret means to feel remorse or contrite about ones actions. Remorse and regret are two emotions people in general have a very difficult time experiencing and admitting.

Remorse is another vital term to succinctly understand the phrase, “I’m Sorry.” Without the experience of remorse, it is impossible to sincerely communicate regret for ones misdeed(s). Remorse is defined as a sense of deep regret and guilt for causing someone harm. Depending on the harm committed, severity of remorse can range from subtle to severe. The societal purpose of remorse is to educate people on behaviors not acceptable in social interactions.

Without the experience of remorse, people can not learn to change their actions leading to a more conducive lifestyle. Since the beginning of recorded history, civilization has written poetry, music, songs, and various other forms of communication in an attempt to define and express the experience of remorse. Without remorse for wrongdoings, society could not exist and isolation would be central to human existence.

The human being is a social creature surviving and thriving within a group dynamic. As part of this evolutionary structure, remorse and communication of regret is both encouraged and necessary for survival of all people, the homo sapiens.

Given the vital purpose of remorse and regret to humanity, the term, “I’m Sorry”, is often confounded by suspicions of sincerity. A person’s character and integrity is a barometer of sincerity and the impact of communicating remorse is directly connected to the person’s intent. If integrity is deemed suspect, then attempts to apologize can easily be construed as misguided void of sincerity.

Character and integrity related to being genuinely remorseful is tied to past, present, and future actions following their misdeed(s). Some are unforgivable while most are accepted provided specific actions are exhibited after his/her misdeed(s). The end product of actions following a misdeed is new learned behaviors reducing the potential for repetition of the specific misdeeds.

An analogy to illustrate human fallibility not addressed, changed, or redirected would be the person who suffers from alcoholism. Although the alcoholic is secretly aware his/her drinking causes pain and anguish to others, he/she continues to drink using a variety of defense mechanisms such as denial, displacement, and minimization. Engaged in the gradual demise of his/her character, integrity, and trust by others, the alcoholic may go years before experiencing remorse and abstaining from future alcohol consumption. The process of recognition, remorse, regret, recovery and rehabilitation illustrates the path all people should experience in the process of positive human adaptation.

Without remorse or regret for actions deemed hurtful by others, the probability for positive change is minuscule. Given the depths of the human mind, there are copious defense mechanisms ready to protect someone from feeling regret for their actions. The ability to say, “I’m Sorry”, and mean it requires an internal reservoir called conscience. Conscience is defined as a moral sense of right and wrong. This psychological construct affects a person’s behavior and encourages functional behavior.

Consciousness, thinking, awareness, and self-awareness are all relevant facets of the conscience. This construct is like a glass of water ranging from empty to full. Most people’s reservoir of conscience ranges from ½ to ¾ filled. As mentioned above, a part of the human condition is fallibility and proclivity to engage in non functional behavior(s). The less conscience a person possesses, the more apt he/she is at a risk for victimizing others. The severest outcome of lacking a vessel of conscience would be the criminal, deviant, or sociopathic mind.

The phrase, “I’m Sorry”, is one of the most important phrases involved in the human experience. From the beginning of time and ad infinitum thereafter, the process of recognition, regret, remorse, and rehabilitation will always be a barometer for human adaptability. Laws, religions, philosophies, and familial guidelines for raising children are all geared to manage and reduce human suffering.

The goal is quite simple and easy to practice using five steps.

1. Expect others to become offended given variability of perceptions filtering all human interactions.
2. Whether innocent or guilty causing others harm, initiate an apology followed by empathy for their experience.
3. Verbalize a plan for not offending in the future.
4. Introspect upon and initiate a paradigm shift reducing the potential for future offending action(s).
5. Never forget, always forgive, and foster mutual respect.

Dr. Michael Nuccitelli is a New York State licensed psychologist and certified forensic consultant. He completed his doctoral degree in clinical psychology in 1994 from the Adler School in Chicago, Illinois. In 2006, he received a Diplomat by the American Board of Psychological Specialties and Certified Forensic Consultant, C.F.C., designation from the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute.

The theory of Dark Psychology assumes either you are ignorant to past devious actions or simply don’t care. Here is a chance to change your trajectory and begin anew. Whatever predatory behaviors you have engaged in, sociopathic and/or criminal, there is always a choice to cease, desist, and step from the abyss of becoming sociopathic.

Sometimes such times appear wherein like epidemics unwholesome activities/behavior are on the rise and like a gigantic creeper grow uninterrupted. Despite having no roots this creeper grows fast and in a short time span a full grown tree gets covered by it. There are worms that grow on plants without any external help and thus the plant gets destroyed.

Vile thinking and unwholesome activities have become like a fashion trend. The gravitational force of earth pulls everything down towards the ground. Without any effort water too flows downwards. The activities of vileness too are akin to this. It runs in the direction of defeat and downfall whereas to uplift something extraordinary hard work is required.

For example when demon Ravan was born he was alone. Not only did his children imbibe a tainted lifestyle but his lineage and subjects too followed suit. Everywhere unwholesome activities proliferated. Demons Kansa, Jarasandha, Vrittasura etc too followed this trend and everywhere there was lack of ethics and human values. Such tainted times have appeared again and again in the pages of world history. But the plan of the creator is such that it will not allow taints and vileness to cross its limits. As long as children make mistakes up to a certain limit elders forgive them but when they cross these limits they are slapped hard and ears are tweaked. If this were not the case unruliness would exceed all proportions and the world’s management would go awry.

Since the past 2000 years vile activities, criminal acts etc have crossed all limits. Powerful people have harassed the weaker section of society. This era can be called the Dark Age. Powerful people after joining hands have misused their capabilities. Those who were weak never thought of opposing this harassment. Man has an inherent capacity to fight hardships and this is his special quality. Man in reality has been molded in such a way that maybe he cannot defeat unwholesomeness but he can at least oppose it. Instead of allowing lack of ethics to go on merrily or instead of enduring it man can at least oppose it to uplift human glory.

When vile people fail to give up their tainted acts and those who are harassed refuse to oppose it, it hurts the sentiments of Almighty Lord who has created this world. The Lord is very angry when vile people do not give up heinous acts and that those who are oppressed do not take firm action so as to oppose vile people. No doubt tainted activities flourish in the world but it is for those who are harassed who must stand up valiantly and obstruct all this. In the name of compassion, forgiveness etc taints and vileness are allowed to flourish all the more. Opposing vileness is conjoined to human glory.

When both sides err the creator gets angry on seeing that his world management is crippled. And what man cannot do God intervenes and does. This is why Avatars appear time and again. Whenever such dire times manifest God takes control of the situation and endeavors to balance that which is unbalanced. God has vowed that “Yada yada hi dharmasya……” Time and again God has fulfilled his promise.

Our times are called the Age of Progress. In these days information technology and scientific research have evolved in an extraordinary manner. Thus means of material comforts too have augmented a great deal. In ancient times so many material comforts did not exist and yet in general people were happy and contented. But today, despite there being quite a few material comforts, man is discontented and agitated. The reason is not lack of comforts but that these are not being used aptly. The true nature of intelligence lies in the fact that whatever is available must be used wholesomely. Man’s needs are limited and along with this his production capacity is much more. Despite all these means being available it is amazing that world humanity is tensed and agitated. This is the major problem of contemporary times. This problem must be solved else along with wealth man’s hardship and tension too will augment.

Apt use of information technology and scientific research means it must conjoin to ethics and values. In wholesome usage every object becomes a pleasure and will help uplift us both materially and spiritually. But if by imbibing vile thinking it is misused its dire results will have to be faced and despite making intense efforts mankind will remain discontented, face lack and will be demeaned. Today this is exactly what is happening. It is not lack of materials but that its misuse is harassing one and all. Ere the root cause is not overthrown the problem will remain unsolved and discomfort/discontent will be the result.

Man has attained so much extra capacity in comparison to his ordinary needs that apart from his own needs he can fulfill the needs of his family, friends, relatives etc. Yet what happens is exactly the opposite. People are unhappy and pained. The cause is only one and that is that whatever is attained is misused. Everyone has the capacity to do a lot with the help of their time, hard work, intellect and talent. Yet it is amazing that forget helping others, man cannot even fulfill his own needs.

Almighty God is compassionate towards those who possess a pious character and metes out punishment to those who are unruly and unethical. Since the past 2000 years unethical behavior has been witnessed in virtually every field of life. When man attains more power than desirable he behaves in an unwholesome manner. He forgets discipline and self control and acts in such a way which is despicable. Under such circumstances when criticism did not work God meted out punishment and did that which should discipline hooliganism.

AUTHOR: Shriram Sharma Acharya founder of the International Gayatri Family was a great Yogi seer and incarnation of God who wrote volumes of scientific literature mainly on spiritual subjects for world welfare and peace. For more scientific e-books visit: http://www.shriramsharma.com/ and http://www.awgp.org/ DESCRIPTION: Free e-books on Future Scientific Religion, Gayatri Science & Kundalini Yoga correlated to Neurosciences-ESP, Endocrinology, Anatomy, Psychology & Sociology for 1) material & spiritual prosperity & 2) uniting the world peacefully as a family. Ours is a strictly non-commercial website which aims at realizing the age old dream of great leaders and thinkers of the world: A beautiful borderless world.

Do movies make a difference in our lives? Of course they do. We are human beings and we learn from what we see, hear and feel. Movies offer it all.

Even when the experience is vicarious and we are only imagining ourselves in a role, movies affect us because of the combined impact of music, dialogue, lighting, camera angles, and sound effects that enable a film to bypass our ordinary defensive censors.

We can become emotionally receptive and energized by an uplifting message, or we can become desensitized to violent behavior. But, like no other medium before it, the popular movie presents the potential of a new power for therapeutic success. It is up to us to see that potential and use it creatively and beneficially.

Cinema Therapy is a tool for assessment. While many adults benefit from talking about problems, thoughts, dreams, or emotions in psychotherapy, most children and adolescents find it more difficult to express such feelings. A young child’s response to movies can help a therapist to understand the child’s personality, concerns, interests or current problems. In a child’s choice of movies, we can find clues to their working role models…ideal self-images, internal resources, potential goals, perceived obstacles, degrees of imagination and creativity, and their overall philosophy of life. Cinema Therapy allows children to express feelings that may be too threatening to express directly.

Films can also be used to get to the bottom of difficult issues. Films provide a common ground for discussions about problems related to family, friendship, school, anxiety, self-esteem or love. Issues can be addressed in relation to an outside element, and seeing how an individual in a movie handles a situation can offer children ideas how to deal with a problem in their own lives. Key scenes, watched over and over, can become the basis for practicing new skills. Many films enable children and adolescents to envision how their own problems might be solved when characters demonstrate behavior change.

Many films, like dreams, are full of metaphors and symbols that affect us on a deep level. Carl Jung believed that as the mind explores the symbol, it is led to ideas that lie beyond the grasp of reason. Metaphors and symbols stimulate bi-lateral thinking and creativity; creating a bridge to the subconscious and bypass normal ego defenses often found in traditional therapeutic approaches.

Myths and stories can help people place their own personal story and the stories of others into the proper context. All myths and stories have a villain, and tell great tales of a journey upon which a hero must embark. Likewise, young people are on a journey of the heart and soul.

Moviemaking can be considered the contemporary form of myth making, reflecting our response to ourselves and the mysteries and wonders of our existence. Movies can have a powerful effect on children and adolescents because they speak directly to their heart and spirit, avoiding the resistance of the conscious mind.

Cinema Therapy can offer insight, role models, and options for more positive behaviors, but its limit is in its vicarious nature. We are watching, perhaps internalizing, but we are not necessarily doing. Unless a child actively and consciously engages in behavior change, Cinema Therapy lacks the element of experiential learning.

While Cinema Therapy is a tool for assessment, The MovieMaking Process becomes a concrete tool for behavioral change. This is experiential learning at its best, because it is creative and requires a child or adolescent to actively participate in its creation by becoming self-aware. A child becomes the hero in his own movie and actively engages in his own journey toward healthy behavior and adulthood. In essence, a child now becomes his own teacher and is learning from him or herself as he watches the movie, again and again. He is becoming the behavior he admires and is solving his own problems as he acts within his own scene and as his own role model. The MovieMaking Process was nominated to SAMHSA’s Service to Science Academy in 2008 as one of the Midwest’s most promising prevention programs for its unique fusion of creativity, technology and human development.

The MovieMaking Process begins with the problem to be addressed, then turns its focus to the desired outcome. The movie becomes the hero’s journey toward resolving the issue and demonstrating more positive behavior. If the issue is bullying the focus of the movie is on kindness, the hero learns through his movie experience how this feels, how it looks and how it affects others. The movie is often based on a myth or story from antiquity, but our hero is the child.

The MovieMaking Process uses the techniques of gorilla filming, which is basically the resourcefulness of what we have available at any given moment in time. This can be in a child’s own home, backyard, neighborhood, park or the school playground. It’s the creative process of choosing a theme and gathering, or creating, the props that make the movie a movie. Children and adolescents love creating their own costumes and their costumes represent the hero they wish to become.

The movie is filmed as a silent movie, using gestures and expressions. This is an important part of child development, to learn and recognize the subtleties of human feelings, acted out non-verbally in facial expressions and physical postures. This also allows any child to participate. It is not necessary to learn and memorize lines, merely to act out the part, expressing emotion through physical expression.

The movie is often filmed through reflection. A child is looking back on something in his past, perhaps an incident that has caused emotional pain, to himself or others. The movie is the journey through the emotional pain to resolution, and a happy ending. The movie always ends with resolution and hope. The journey is completed and the hero is more aware, more skilled and can now see the incident in a new perspective.

Narration is added after the movie is edited. The narration is the storyline that tells the tale of the hero looking at his past, overcoming obstacles, learning new behaviors, seeing new perspectives, and coming to be more than he was before. Using voice over narration, rather than attempting to film a sound movie, keeps the focus on facial expressions, body language and action, plus it is very cost effective in time and money.

Music is added to the completed movie. Music that is meaningful to the child or adolescent is best and is intended to create the emotional feelings that are important to behavior change. We must feel inspired to change behavior, and we must feel hopeful. Music can take us to those heights. While using copyrighted music is a very serious issue these days, there are always musicians in every community who want their music to be heard and used. There is also a lot of royalty free music on the Web.

It is essential for a child’s completed movie to be Premiered with as much fanfare as possible. Inviting family and friends to see the completed movie is an important element in creating new behavior. Most children and adolescents like watching their movie, over and over. This strengthens the new learning and each viewing reinforces that learning. Now a child is learning from the movie he created. He is learning that he can be his own hero and can journey through the difficulties of life with awareness, skills and hope. He is no longer just viewing, he has actively participated, and that is the great power of experiential learning.

AUTHORS:
Linda Flanders has a degree in Criminal Justice and is a former police detective, specializing in Child Abuse. She is a prevention program designer, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher, and independent filmmaker.
Dorothy Halla-Poe holds Master’s Degrees in Rehabilitation Counseling, Clinical Psychology and Human Development, as well as a PhD in Human Development. She has specialized for more than two decades working with young adults suffering from traumatic head injuries. She has documented the foundation of The MovieMaking Process in the book, The Matrix Model.
Curriculum for The MovieMaking Process and movie examples can be found on Taproot’s website at http://www.taprootinc.com