Forensic Psychology For Dummies (18 page)

A rape victim was telling me that before the rapist climbed back out of the window of her apartment, he said to her: ‘You shouldn’t have left your window open. Someone could’ve come in and attacked you,’ thus denying to himself that he’d done anything wrong or in anyway injured the traumatised survivor of his assault.

Rationalisation:
‘Never give a sucker an even break.’ Rationalising in this way shifts the blame onto the victim because she was asking for the crime to happen to her, for example, by leaving her purse where anyone can take it.

Another intriguing suggestion that’s gaining in popularity is that criminals develop a personal narrative in which they see themselves as heroes or victims, professionals or adventurers. This way of thinking – which seems to mix aspects of self-denial and justification – allows them to maintain their criminal lifestyle.

The thought processes of people who commit crimes are revealed by what they say about their crimes and how they think about their actions, and those things tend to be along the lines of what people often say to themselves in lesser situations. For example, have you ever thought to yourself that your employer isn’t going to miss a couple of paper clips and anyway the company made a huge profit this year?

What makes these thought processes part of the cognitive style of criminals is the
application
of them to more extreme situations in which the various denials can never be defended.

Getting personal with the personality of many criminals

Many criminals show a number of common personality traits as well as having shared thought processes (which I list in the section ‘Thinking about crime’).

Psychologists use the term personality specifically to describe the innate characteristics of a person (do not confuse with a TV personality or celebrity!). In psychology, everyone has a personality that can be studied and measured, like other characteristics that I describe in Part III.

When talking about the personality traits of criminals, I’m referring to aspects of personality that everyone shares to some degree, but which in criminals are, on average, more exaggerated. For example, research shows that many criminals are more extrovert and neurotic than the law-abiding general population.

Here are some shared aspects of the personality of many criminals:

External locus of control:
People differ in their thinking on whether fate rules their lives or whether they have control over what happens to them. Psychologists call the dominant influence on a person’s life the
locus of control.
Research has identified criminals not taking responsibility for their actions as having an
external locus of control
, the criminal claiming that his actions are someone else’s fault (as in the Officer Kruptke song I quoted earlier). The research results aren’t clear-cut, however, because some criminals are the opposite and believe that they have a right to take what they want (that is creating your own destiny). This belief is particularly true of another Hollywood favourite, the bank robber.

Lack of empathy:
Some
criminals don’t have the ability to feel what others are feeling. The consequences can be that the criminal doesn’t realise the effects of his actions; for example, a burglar or rapist not realising the trauma he’s causing the victims. This is similar to
denial of criminality
that I mention in the section ‘Thinking about crime’, except that lack of empathy is an aspect of personality rather than a thought process. The person is genuinely unable to appreciate what others are going through.

Lack of self-control:
Impulsivity or the reluctance to delay gratification have often been associated with criminality, especially among younger offenders and drug users. But then again, lack of self-control doesn’t apply to someone who spends months planning a bank robbery.

Search for excitement:
Do you thirst to go bungee jumping or racing fast cars? Do you prefer wild parties instead of staying at home reading a book? Do you get bored seeing the same old faces and never dream of going to the same film twice? If you answer yes to all these questions, you’re a
sensation seeker
and possibly a risk taker too. Many criminals are sensation seekers, especially the younger ones. They enjoy the excitement of committing the crime and getting away with it. So, when you think about it, the boredom of prison must be particularly punishing for the sensation seeker.

Such personality characteristics are present in people in all walks of life, but do seem to be more common in criminals than non-criminals.