Criminal Minds

Psychopathy

Mary Ellen O'Toole Ph.D. on July 28, 2013

Is Ariel Castro really a monster—or is there much more to his behavior?

Intuition

Mary Ellen O'Toole Ph.D. on January 17, 2013

When a person or a situation is dangerous — will our gut instincts tell us what to do?

Career

Mary Ellen O'Toole Ph.D. on August 22, 2012

Would you be a good FBI interviewer? Are you a good listener?

Law and Crime

Mary Ellen O'Toole Ph.D. on May 22, 2012

Some crimes truly do shock our conscience and one such crime occurred in Oakland, California recently when a lone gunman entered a small private Christian University and shot and killed seven people, some of them reportedly execution style.

Trust

Mary Ellen O'Toole Ph.D. on March 28, 2012

Ethics and Morality

Mary Ellen O'Toole Ph.D. on March 20, 2012

Labels like "monster" and "evil" only serve to perpetuate misperceptions about violent offenders and their crime and catapult us back to the 18th century when due to a lack of science the only explanations for violence was to attribute it to mystical, evil figures like monsters, werewolves and vampires.

Law and Crime

Mary Ellen O'Toole Ph.D. on March 15, 2012

When law enforcement seemingly takes weeks, months, and years to track down, catch, and prosecute an offender, people are left with many questions.

Anxiety

Mary Ellen O'Toole Ph.D. on February 27, 2012

To stay safe, all it takes is using your head rather than your gut.