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How to Read People: Why we “Fail” as Profilers

Discover why our gut instincts often fail us as profilers and learn valuable observation skills to accurately read people. Overcome biases and myths to identify potential red flags and dangerous individuals. Master the skill of reading people and assess their true intentions.

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How to Read People: Why we “Fail” as Profilers

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  1. How to Read People: Why we “Fail” as Profilers Charles L. Feer, JD, MPA Bakersfield College Department of Criminal Justice

  2. How Our Gut-Instincts Betray Us • We tend to focus on superficial qualities that actually do not tell us much about the individual. • We assume that people who go to work ever day, have a family, well maintained home, are “normal.” • We assume that our bodies will give us a “warning” if we are around some who is dangerous. (Sensation of fear, stay-away.)

  3. How Our Gut-Instincts Betray Us • “Dangerous people have a way of making us feel uncomfortable.” • “Dangerous people will not be friendly, courteous and will not make eye-contact.”

  4. Observation Skills • Many of us are not good listeners. • If you are too busy talking, you will miss key pieces of information. • We need to watch. • The best way to determine of someone is dangerous is by observing their behavior.

  5. Prejudice and Bias We admire and or are intimidated by people in certain professions or positions. “Icon – Intimidation” We give people “a pass” if they are a religious figure, police officer, military person. (We assign admirable qualities to them without much thought.)

  6. Prejudice and Bias • Teachers are intelligent, courageous, compassionate and thereby harmless. • We are clouded by our own emotional state. (i.e. Being depressed, just suffering a loss, can make us vulnerable. So when someone offers to do something nice for us…)

  7. Myths • Straggly Haired stranger / Unkempt • “Creepy” • Unemployed / Uneducated • People who “stick out” of a crowd. • We overlook people who may be incredibly dangerous because they look like the rest of us.

  8. Myths • Good people just “snap” and act violently. • We may choose to ignore certain patterns of behavior, rationalize them away, talk ourselves out of taking action.

  9. Red Flags: • They Anger Easily (i.e. Road Rage) • They talk about violence (“Violence is the answer to everything.”) • They are physically aggressive (Act like a bully?) • They are abusive towards others. (How do they treat staff or servers at a restaurant?) • They tend to blame others. • They have nothing good to say about previous partners or ex-friends.

  10. Red Flags: • Psychopaths • Make up about 1% of the general population • Make up about 10% of prison population • Lack Empathy. (They may pretend to care.) • Emotions are a pain in the rear-end.

  11. Conclusion • Reading people accurately is not a gift, it is a skill that anyone can master, if they pay attention to the right things.

  12. Questions

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