Forensic Psychology — Sections 16–20
Investigative Concepts
Criminal motivation, geographic profiling, crime linkage, interview strategy, and investigative bias.
Understanding Criminal Motivation
Motivation is one of the most important — and most frequently oversimplified — concepts in behavioral analysis. Understanding why an offender committed a crime can inform victim selection analysis, investigative strategy, and risk assessment. But motivation must not be oversimplified.
Motivation is an investigative hypothesis that should be continuously tested against evidence.
Motivational Frameworks
Financial gain
The offense is committed primarily for material benefit.
Sexual gratification
Sexual motivation is a component of the offense.
Anger or revenge
The offense is driven by anger, grievance, or desire for retaliation.
Power/control
The offense reflects a need to dominate or control victims.
Ideology
The offense is motivated by political, religious, or ideological beliefs.
Excitement or thrill
The act of offending itself is experienced as exciting or pleasurable.
Concealment
The offense is committed to eliminate a witness or conceal another crime.
Interpersonal conflict
The offense arises from a specific relationship or dispute.
Instrumental objectives
Violence is used as a means to achieve another goal.
Psychological disturbance
Mental illness or psychological disturbance contributes to the offense.
Avoid Oversimplification
Not all serial offenders possess one motivation. Many offenses involve multiple motivational factors. Motivation may evolve over the course of an offense series. Attributing a single motivation to a complex offense is an analytical error.