Forensic psychologists are extremely important aspects to both psychology and law environments. Their work can make or break a case in law environments. The work they do coincides with both law and psychology in that they release information to the court system in order to continue a trial, and part of psychology because they are responsible for determining the psychological state of their client. The brain is a very complicated organ and can inhibit forensic psychologists from performing their jobs completely successfully. Forensic psychologists are responsible for so many different aspects of their client’s life that the brain can act up at many different times, and in many different forms. They must be completely objective at all times in order for their client to have a fair trial, along with being completely confidential with all of the testimony they are given, no matter how disturbing it may be. Finally, forensic psychologists must be organized mentally and organized with tangible items, they also need to be able to communicate effectively to both their clients and other court system representatives.
Though forensic psychologists try, the brain can inhibit them from being completely objective. Gary Marcus in “Kluge” claims that human beliefs are often influenced by others beliefs, but are also hard to change once they are put in place. It is described throughout his chapter “Belief” how the human brains rational approach is contradicted by the tendency to favor perception in forming beliefs. The author suggests that the human tendency to favor perception in forming beliefs runs very much counter to a rational approach. The human belief system is easily influenced by superstition, manipulation and fallacy, which often can...
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Gudjonsson, Gisli H., and L. R. C. Haward. Forensic Psychology: A Guide to Practice. London: Routledge, 1998. 1+. Print.
Marcus, Gary F. Kluge: The Haphazard Evolution of the Human Mind. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2009. 40-68. Print.
"Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology." American Psychological Association 68.1 (2013): 7-19. Academic Search Complete. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.
Walker, Lenore E., and David L. Shapiro. Introduction to Forensic Psychology: Clinical and Social Psychological Perspectives. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum, 2003. 3+. Print.
Costanzo, M., & Krauss, D. (2012). Forensic and legal psychology: Psychological science applied to law. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
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Costanzo, M., & Krauss, D. (2012). Forensic and Legal Psychology: Psychological Science Applied to Law. New York: Worth Publishers.
education-portal.com>. The "Behavioral Analysis Unit. " History of Forensic Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web.
Forensic (criminal) psychology is a job field that deals with both psychology and law. The field has experienced dramatic growth in recent years due to the role of popular movies, television programs and books popularizing the field. Often these individuals are depicted as vivid components in solving vicious crimes or timing out a criminal’s next home. While these depictions of certainly entertaining, yet these portrayals are not necessarily precise. Forensic psychologists play an instrumental role in the criminal justice system while applying psychological principles to the legal system. The crossover of the two spheres is best decided in the Encyclopedia of Psychology,
Lyman, D. Michael; Criminal Investigation, The Art and Science; 3rd edition, 2002 Prentice Hall. Pgs. 188-200.
McGrath, Michael G. "Criminal Profiling: Is There a Role for the Forensic Psychiatrist?." Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 28. (2000): 315-324. Web. 13 Apr 2011.
Maguire, M., Morgan, R., and Reiner, R. (2012) The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. 5th ed. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Forensic evidence can provide just outcomes in criminal matters. However, it is not yet an exact science as it can be flawed. It can be misrepresented through the reliability of the evidence, through nonstandard guidelines, and through public perception. Forensic science can be dangerously faulty without focus on the ‘science’ aspect. It can at times be just matching patterns based on an individual’s interpretations. This can lead to a miscarriage of justice and forever alter a person’s life due to a perceived “grey area” (Merritt C, 2010) resulting in a loss of confidence in the reliability of forensic evidence.
Just as insight into the mind of the artist may be gained by examining and comparing the progression of his work, so knowledge of the mind of the serial killer can be ascertained by an examination of his canvas: The murder scene. Forensic profiling is the attempt to do just that. An investigator tries to discern information about the killer based on the information at the crime scene, deducing information about the cause from the effect. This is not an exact science, and has been often likened to an art. It is the goal of this work to provide the reader with a basic understanding of the function and application of forensic psychology, as well as an explication of some of its strengths and weaknesses.
Review, PubMed PMID: 19543886. Saferstein, R. (2011). Criminalistics: An introduction to forensic science (10th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Forensic Psychology, which is occasionally referred to as Legal Psychology, originally made its debut in the late 1800’s. A Harvard Professor, Professor Munsterberg, introduced the idea of psychology and law with his book, On the Witness Stand in 1908. Since the inception of the idea of psychology and law there have been proponents, as well as though that have spoken against the theories proposed by Munsterberg’s, along with other scientists, theorists, and psychologists that believed that Forensic Psychology had no standing to be linked to topics of law. This literature review will attempt to identify scholarly articles that trace the origins and the movement that led to Forensics Psychology becoming a specialty within the field of psychology. I will also attempt to explain What is Forensic Psychology as well as the part it plays within the legal system.
Morgan, R., Maguire, M. And Reiner, R. (2012). The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Gaensslen, R. E., Harris, H A., & Lee, H. (2008). Introduction to Forensic Science and Criminalistics. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. .
"Forensic Psychologist: Job Description." | Prospects UK. Ed. AGCAS. N.p., Aug. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.