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Psychological states can widely differ from person to person. Yet, the attitudes that result are not, in a way, very devastating or can cause a major problem in a community. Let me give you an example to illustrate the point more clearly. You, as a sane and healthy human being, go through a lot of pressure in your day, and you can emit this pressure in a form of nervousness, for example. The most you can do is scream to whoever calls you to do something you are not willing to do.
If we chose to imagine the attitudes of many humans and picture them as dots then plot them on a graph, they will not be so far from each other. However, like the case of plotting any data, there are often some outliers present in the graph. Those outliers are people who have an abnormal psychological state or think differently.
They find their gratitude in ways that are unlike other “normal” humans. This portion of people consists of criminals, such as serial killers and rapists, or both, each of whom finds their way of satisfaction strangely or differently from others.
These types of criminals have been wandering the terrains of the planet since the evolution of humans. Police, FBI, and other law enforcement organizations have been going after them for centuries.
These types of criminals have been wandering the terrains of the planet since the evolution of humans. Police, FBI, and other law enforcement organizations have been going after them for centuries.
And to ease the investigation and process of catching these criminals, they started conducting “psychological profiling”- the terminology has not been settled yet, but, to avoid confusion, this is what it will be called throughout the article. From this moment, and the process of catching criminals has been “updated”.
These profiles describe the criminals according to the crime scene, the way they conducted their crimes, places they conducted their crime in, and other factors. The description in these profiles can include psychological variables such as personality traits, psychopathologies, and behaviour patterns, as well as demographic variables such as age, race, or geographic location.
These profiles describe the criminals according to the crime scene, the way they conducted their crimes, places they conducted their crime in, and other factors. The description in these profiles can include psychological variables such as personality traits, psychopathologies, and behaviour patterns, as well as demographic variables such as age, race, or geographic location.
Investigators then use this description to narrow down the search radius to bring the criminal to custody as fast as possible.
The Methods -
Methods of profiling are various. However, this article is going to encapsulate the organized/disorganized dichotomy method. The dichotomy is a term that means a division into two polarized or contradictory parts or opinions.
In 1978, Ressler recalled, “I had come up with the idea of improving our instructional capabilities by conducting in-depth research into violent criminal personalities. I suggested we go into the prisons and interview violent offenders to get a better handle on them and formulate a foundation for criminal profiling.
Initially, it was me and my partner who did this while we were on road trips for teaching purposes. If I was in California, I would contact the agent who was our training coordinator and have him set up interviews with people like Charles Manson or Sirhan Sirhan.”
Robert Ressler and John E.Douglas are two FBI agents who conducted interviews will 36 mass murderers, serial killers, and assassins all over the state. They recorded the interviews and were interested in the responses of the criminals so much that these interviews escalated into being a project. This project later turned into the organized/disorganized dichotomy.
Basically, it is a method that puts the criminal in a state where he/she is “organized” or “disorganized” or sometimes in a “mixed” state based on several factors such as the crime scene and the body, or bodies, that was found in the scene.
Robert Ressler and John E.Douglas are two FBI agents who conducted interviews will 36 mass murderers, serial killers, and assassins all over the state. They recorded the interviews and were interested in the responses of the criminals so much that these interviews escalated into being a project. This project later turned into the organized/disorganized dichotomy.
Basically, it is a method that puts the criminal in a state where he/she is “organized” or “disorganized” or sometimes in a “mixed” state based on several factors such as the crime scene and the body, or bodies, that was found in the scene.
What's there in the Book?!
In the book, Criminal Profiling - An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis, Brent E.Turvey, the author, explains the meaning of both terms and presents a table that contains specific descriptions for each term.
He defines an organized offender and an organized crime scene as follows,” An organized crime scene is one with evidence of planning, where the victim is a targeted stranger, the crime scene reflects overall control, there are restraints used, and aggressive acts occur before death...
With the crime scene being a reflection of the personality of an offender, meaning the offender will have average to above-average intelligence, will be socially competent, will prefer skilled work, will have a high birth order, will have a controlled mood during the crime, and may also use alcohol with the crime.”
He also defined a disorganized offender and a disorganized crime scene as follows,” A disorganized crime scene shows spontaneity, where the victim or location is known, the crime scene is random and sloppy, there is sudden violence, minimal restraints are used, and there are sexual acts after death.
He also defined a disorganized offender and a disorganized crime scene as follows,” A disorganized crime scene shows spontaneity, where the victim or location is known, the crime scene is random and sloppy, there is sudden violence, minimal restraints are used, and there are sexual acts after death.
This is again suggestive of the personality of the offender, with a disorganized offender having below-average intelligence, being socially inadequate, having a low birth order, having an anxious mood during the crime, and using minimal amounts of alcohol.”
“Despite having these discrete classifications, it is generally held that no offender will fit neatly into either category, with most offenders being somewhere between the two: these offenders are called 'mixed'.”
“Despite having these discrete classifications, it is generally held that no offender will fit neatly into either category, with most offenders being somewhere between the two: these offenders are called 'mixed'.”
The End Game -
He continues to describe the offenders as either psychopathic or psychotic by stating that“ The profiling implications of this classification system are that disorganized offenders are inferred to be psychotic. That is to say, by virtue of a messy crime scene, offenders are determined to be suffering from a mental illness that afflicts them with a psychosis.
Because they leave behind lots of evidence, there is thought to be a deterioration of normal intellectual and therefore social functioning, and a partial or complete withdrawal from reality... Conversely, organized offenders are determined to be psychopathic.
That is to say, by virtue of a relatively clean crime scene they are thought not to be suffering from a mental illness that afflicts them with a psychosis. They are determined to be aware of, and to understand, the nature and quality of their behaviour.”
Although the amount of criticism this method was exposed too was big, it was widely used due to its simplicity, and the fact that someone with a little amount of training can use it, which sometimes pointed out to be misleading.
- Edited by Mridul Goyal (EMN Community Member From New Delhi, India)
Although the amount of criticism this method was exposed too was big, it was widely used due to its simplicity, and the fact that someone with a little amount of training can use it, which sometimes pointed out to be misleading.
- Written by Eyad Aoun (EMN Community Member From Egypt)
- Edited by Mridul Goyal (EMN Community Member From New Delhi, India)
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