So you want to be a Criminal Psychologist? Are you sure?

Silence of The Lambs

Ever since I read my first book on forensic psychology I was hooked. It was a Paul Britton book called "The Jigsaw Man" and recounts the input that Paul made to dozens of criminal investigations. The way in which he used the available clues to profile criminals and predict future behaviours was incredible. He took pyschological truths and translated them into the criminal field in a way that changed the way police work on serious crime.


In the UK there was a programme called "Cracker", starring Robbie Coltrane. Coltrane portrays a character, Fitz, "an abrasively eccentric forensic psychologist that aids in the solving of difficult police cases". The character's personal life is littered with failure and he lives a pretty dark existence. He becomes consumed by his work. If you haven't seen the TV Series it is well worth a watch if this is a discipline you are interested in (I think Paul Britton contributed as a consultant- although I am not 100% on this).


Many of us have seen films such as the Bone Collector, with Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington (1999), and been inspired by the methods of a Forensic Psychologist. We all have the detective mentality in us fighting to get to the surface and provide it's analytical stamp on puzzling situations. By our natures we are inquisitive and enjoy a puzzle.

Could you be a Forensic Psychologist though? Or would you want to be? When I first came across the work of Paul Britton and the field of Criminal Psychology I was already studying Psychology. I was doing my first degreee and deciding where to specialise. Should I go for Clinical Psychology, Sports Psychology, Occupational Psychology or any other of the many arenas in which psychologists ply their trade. On deciding whether Forensic Psychology was the route I wanted to take one thought became the deciding factor. That thought was that "if you want to understand the way a criminal is thinking you have to start to think like them".  With this in mind I knew I was not tough enough to do the job even if I do possess all the other mental attributes required.

So what do you need to be a Forensic Psychologist? For a start you need a great deal of education, which of course requires money hehe. You also need to be intelligent, be able to assess situations quickly to dechiper the truths, be able to accept close scrutiny of your work and be able to work in an environment where confrontation is the norm. Add to this an ability to work alone, a comfort with details, and a naturally inquisitive mind and you have some of the package.

Just found this interesting site on the topic of criminal psychology that may be worth a look to find out more.