CCP Psychological Profiling & Forensic Psychology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which defense mechanism, commonly identified in violent offenders, involves attributing one's own unacceptable impulses to others?
- Rationalization
- Projection (Correct answer)
- Displacement
- Sublimation
Correct answer: Projection
Projection is the defense mechanism where individuals attribute their own unacceptable thoughts or impulses to others, commonly observed in paranoid and violent offenders.
Question 2: In the context of criminal profiling, the 'cooling-off period' is a defining characteristic of which offender type?
- Spree killer
- Mass murderer
- Serial killer (Correct answer)
- Comfort killer
Correct answer: Serial killer
A cooling-off period between homicides is the defining characteristic that distinguishes a serial killer from spree and mass murderers.
Question 3: The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) uses which scoring scale for each of its 20 items?
- 0–1
- 0–2 (Correct answer)
- 0–3
- 0–4
Correct answer: 0–2
Each PCL-R item is scored 0, 1, or 2, yielding a maximum total score of 40, with a clinical threshold of 30 for psychopathy.
Question 4: Which psychological concept describes the offender's tendency to return to the scene of the crime because it provides emotional gratification?
- Victimology revisit
- Souvenir retention
- Return to scene behavior (Correct answer)
- Signature behavior
Correct answer: Return to scene behavior
Return to scene behavior occurs when an offender revisits the crime scene to relive the experience, gather intelligence, or deflect suspicion.
Question 5: In forensic psychology, 'malingering' refers to:
- Genuine amnesia following trauma
- Deliberate fabrication of symptoms for external gain (Correct answer)
- Unconscious symptom exaggeration
- Misattribution of psychiatric diagnosis
Correct answer: Deliberate fabrication of symptoms for external gain
Malingering is the intentional production or feigning of symptoms motivated by external incentives such as avoiding criminal responsibility or obtaining compensation.
Question 6: Which theory proposes that criminal behavior results from an individual learning attitudes, values, and techniques from intimate personal groups?
- Strain theory
- Labeling theory
- Differential association theory (Correct answer)
- Social control theory
Correct answer: Differential association theory
Edwin Sutherland's differential association theory holds that criminal behavior is learned through interaction with others in intimate personal groups.
Question 7: The term 'equivocal death investigation' refers to a death where:
- The cause of death is clearly homicide
- The manner of death is uncertain and requires psychological autopsy (Correct answer)
- The victim's identity is unknown
- Physical evidence contradicts witness statements
Correct answer: The manner of death is uncertain and requires psychological autopsy
An equivocal death investigation occurs when the manner of death (homicide, suicide, accident, or natural) is unclear and a psychological autopsy is used to reconstruct the decedent's state of mind.
CCP Psychological Profiling & Forensic Psychology 2
Which defense mechanism, commonly identified in violent offenders, involves attributing one's own unacceptable impulses to others?