A
ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences): Traumatic or stressful events during childhood (e.g., abuse, neglect, domestic violence) linked to lifelong psychological damage and criminal tendencies.
Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD): A personality disorder characterized by persistent patterns of manipulation, disregard for social norms, lack of empathy, and violation of the rights of others.
Attachment Theory: A psychological model explaining how early relationships with caregivers affect emotional development and future behavior.
B
Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU): A specialized division of the FBI responsible for profiling and understanding the behavior of violent offenders, especially serial criminals.
Behavioral Profiling: The technique of analyzing crime scenes and offender behavior to predict characteristics of an unknown criminal.
C
Childhood Trauma: Emotional or physical distress experienced in early years, often leading to long-term psychological issues, including aggression and emotional detachment.
Conduct Disorder: A psychiatric disorder diagnosed in childhood or adolescence involving aggressive behavior, cruelty to animals, lying, or criminal tendencies.
Copycat Killer: An offender who imitates the methods or motives of a previously known killer, often influenced by media exposure.
Criminal Profiling: A method used by investigators to create a psychological portrait of an offender based on behavior, crime scene, and victimology.
D
Disorganized Killer: A type of serial killer who acts impulsively, leaves evidence behind, and often shows signs of mental illness or emotional instability.
E
Empathy Deficit: A psychological trait where a person is unable to understand or feel what another person is experiencing, often found in psychopathic individuals.
F
Forensic Psychology: The intersection of psychology and the legal system, where professionals evaluate the mental state of criminals and provide courtroom testimony.
H
Hedonistic Killer: A type of serial killer who derives pleasure (sexual or emotional) from murder.
I
Insanity Defense: A legal argument that the accused should not be held responsible due to a diagnosed mental disorder at the time of the crime.
M
Macdonald Triad: A set of three childhood behaviors (cruelty to animals, fire-setting, and bedwetting) once believed to indicate future violent behavior.
Modus Operandi (MO): The specific method or technique a criminal uses to commit crimes, often consistent and unique to the offender.
O
Organized Killer: A methodical offender who plans their crimes, controls the scene, avoids leaving evidence, and may follow news coverage.
P
Psychopathy: A severe personality disorder characterized by charm, manipulativeness, lack of remorse, and superficial relationships. Often linked to violent crime.
Paraphilia: A condition involving abnormal sexual desires, often linked to serial sexual offenders (e.g., necrophilia, sadism).
R
Recidivism: The tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend, often discussed in the context of rehabilitation or failure thereof.
S
Sadistic Personality: A psychological condition where an individual derives pleasure from inflicting pain or humiliation, common in sexually motivated serial killers.
Serial Killer: An individual who murders three or more people over time, usually with psychological motives and a cooling-off period between crimes.
V
Victimology: The study of victims and their relationship to the offender, often used to understand motive and behavioral patterns.