Q&A for How to Profile People

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  • Question
    How do you psychologically analyze someone?
    Asa Don Brown, PhD, DNCCM, FAAETS
    Clinical Psychologist
    Dr. Asa Don Brown is a Clinical Psychologist with over 25 years of experience. He specializes in working with families, children, and couples, treating a variety of psychological disorders, trauma, and abuse. Dr. Brown has specialized in negotiation and profiling. He is also a prolific author having published three books and numerous articles in magazines, journals, and popular publications. Dr. Brown earned a BS in Theology and Religion with a minor in Marketing and an MS in Counseling with a specialization in Marriage and Family from The University of Great Falls. Furthermore, he received a PhD in Psychology with a specialization in Clinical Psychology from Capella University. He is also a candidate for a Masters of Liberal Arts through Harvard University. Dr. Brown is a Fellow of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and a Diplomate for the National Center for Crisis Management and continues to serve a number of psychological and scientific boards.
    Clinical Psychologist
    Expert Answer
    When conducting an investigation, it’s important to establish a connection with the individual in question, since knowing their common routines and the behaviors related to those routines will offer more insight when determining their baseline. This way, your analisis will be able to pick up normal nonverbal cues and any particular deviation from those established parameters
  • Question
    What can I learn about people who answer a question with a question?
    Community Answer
    They are hiding the truth, they want to put you off with questions.They want to change the subject even in the slightest to escape answering the question.
  • Question
    What does it mean when someone only curses around their friends?
    Community Answer
    It probably means that, while they are uncomfortable around strangers, they feel very close with the people they are familiar with; this is a behavior often found in introverted people. An introvert will be very cautious and uncomfortable around strangers, but overly comfortable around friends, resulting in social misconduct like extensive cursing around friends.
  • Question
    What could I conclude if a person shows contradicting traits and has a higher than average intelligence, but acts out for their own self amusement?
    Community Answer
    They probably feel somewhat superior to others, as well as feeling left out and not able to fit in. It can also mean they have a hard time relating to others.
  • Question
    What causes people to act out inappropriately?
    Community Answer
    They may have mental or emotional problems that prevent them from knowing what is and isn't appropriate. Or they may simply seek attention from others.
  • Question
    What causes people to speak louder than others, and what does that say about them?
    Community Answer
    They probably do this on a subconscious level and therefore aren't aware that they're doing it. Some families have different ideas of what normal speaking levels are, so what sounds loud to you sounds normal to them.
  • Question
    What is the best way to show interest to an independent and secure woman without worrying about rejection?
    Community Answer
    If she is secure and independent, she is most likely intelligent, too. She'll be able to see if you are not being yourself. Think of her as a friend and find a general topic of conversation. My experience is that it is easy to move from one topic of conversation to another, so try that. All of us have experienced rejection. There is no guarantee of not being rejected. I can tell you that if you approach her thinking only about this, there is a greater chance it can happen (think of self-fulfilling prophecies). You can't program a person to like you. I suggest that you relax and be casual. This has sparked the curiosity of many a female.
  • Question
    How do I use the information I gather?
    Community Answer
    You should be able to use the information you've gathered to figure out someone's personality and motivations. This can help you predict what they might do or how they might behave in the future.
  • Question
    How do I detect if someone is lying?
    Community Answer
    Watch their eye movement; if they tend to look away it could signal guilt from lying. Also, look for redness in the face or upper chest, if their upper lip is sweating, or if they make strange or uncomfortable eye contact (not blinking or darting eyes), they could be trying to hide the fact that they are lying.
  • Question
    How do I find a person's baseline behavior?
    Community Answer
    A person's baseline is defined as their comfort zone or rest state. Make a list of behavior patterns and observe them at random times. Evaluate them on different days, and see how they interact.
  • Question
    What does it mean if someone keeps saying we already talked about that?
    Community Answer
    This is a way to divert the subject that you are bringing up. This likely signifies that the topic makes them feel anger, contempt or any strong emotion that the person either cannot handle or is subconsciously trying to avoid. This does not confirm that they are lying, but it could mean that the person knows they will have to lie if the topic is raised, so they're using this diversion to avoid lying.
  • Question
    How am I supposed to know what behaviors indicate which personalities?
    Community Answer
    You have to use all the information you can get to come up with the best guess based on the collective data. If you can get everything you need, then it should be easy to come up with a positive determination on what kind of personality one person has.
  • Question
    Can I tell what a person is feeling from posture?
    Community Answer
    If they are very stiff it may mean that they are uncomfortable. If they are in a good posture but are still relaxed (back not completely straight, etc.) they are most likely confident or want to seem confident. If they don't have good posture (lean back, legs wide open, etc.) but smile a lot, then it might mean that they are very comfortable and relaxed, probably with friends. If someone has hunched shoulders and a bent back, they don't think much of themselves (unless they have a back problem). If they are usually confident, even when with strangers, then all of a sudden they are hunched, it may mean that they consider people around them above them, maybe their crush is there and they don't think they have a chance.
  • Question
    What does it mean to profile people?
    Drew Hawkins1
    Community Answer
    Profiling is essentially a form of analyzing a person. You can look at their speech patterns, posture, body language, as well as their overall appearance. If you're naturally good at reading people, you can figure out how they're feeling and what they're thinking. With practice and training, you can learn the basics of how profiling works and become very skilled at it. Profiling can be a useful way to quickly assess a person. However, profiling isn't an exact science and you may not be right in your assumptions. Nevertheless, profiling has been used throughout history by people like police officers and doctors to quickly get a read on a person.
  • Question
    Is criminal profiler a real job?
    Drew Hawkins1
    Community Answer
    The role of a criminal profiler isn't just a character on a crime drama on TV. It's actually a real job! But it's a super specialized and competitive field. It takes a lot of training and a natural talent for being able to read and profile people. The actual job title is "forensic science technician" and they can work for a variety of agencies such as local law enforcement, the FBI, or even the CIA. If you'd like to be a criminal profiler, you can start by getting a degree in criminal justice or psychology. From there you can apply to work for a national agency like the FBI for additional forensic training, or join a police department to work in the forensic department.
  • Question
    Is being a criminal profiler dangerous?
    Drew Hawkins1
    Community Answer
    Being a forensic science technician, also known as a criminal profiler, isn't always super dangerous because you may spend a lot of your time in an office looking through documents and evidence to try to make a profile of someone. Some criminal profilers may go out into the field with detectives to help collect data and info, but that's not always the case. However, just because you may not be directly exposed to crime or criminal behavior, the job can be taxing psychologically. After all, if you spend a lot of your time trying to get into the heads of rapists and murderers, it could make you depressed and unhappy.
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