Personality-Guided Forensic Psychology (Personality-Guided Psychology)

In Personality-Guided Forensic Psychology, Robert J. Craig discusses the hot area of forensic psychology -- the crossroads of law and psychology -- and illustrates how personality-guided assessment is a useful tool in the multiple arenas in which forensic psychologists are active: child custody evaluation, fitness for duty evaluations, personal injury, domestic violence, and many others. The volume begins with an overview of forensic psychology and the personality theories most relevant to forensic psychology. Chapters cover assessments ranging from relatively normal evaluations (police applicants and officers, custody and personal injury) to those in which severe pathology may come into play (domestic violence and homicide). The book offers a wealth of data on personality-test scores of chronic pain patients, patients who litigate, those who commit sexual or other physical abuse or murder, and others. Psychologists who serve as expert witnesses of friends of the court in legal proceedings, those choosing candidates for intervention programs, and students of forensic psychology will find this book indispensable. Volumes in the Personality-Guided Psychology series demonstrate the utility and relevance of assessing personality variables in an array of matters of interest to psychologists. Each book illustrates how a clinical syndrome or behavior can be understood in the context of the patient's unique pattern of overall trait dynamics.

Director of the drug abuse program at the Chicago Veterans' Administration health care system, Craig integrates the literature concerning three major trends in clinical psychology over the last half of the 20th century: the growth of independent professions, the interest in personality evaluation and the diagnosis of personality disorders, and the opportunities in forensic psychology. The material focuses on the assessment of adults, but does consider juvenile offenders in some cases. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Christopher J. Graver, PhD(Madigan Army Medical Center)
Description:This book winds the thread of personality-guided assessment through the intersection between psychology and the law. In doing so, it travels through many areas of forensic psychology in order to demonstrate the utility of considering personality variables in assessment. The use of personality assessment in major areas of law is discussed.
Purpose:The purpose of this book is to bridge the areas of clinical psychology, personality psychology, and forensic psychology into a coherent framework for understanding the impact of personality characteristics on a host of variables in the legal setting.
Audience:This book is primarily written for individuals with an advanced background in clinical psychology, but would be particularly helpful to clinicians who are novices in the forensic arena. Students of psychology also will find this book of interest. The author is well-established in the area of psychological assessment and the use of personality measures.
Features:This book very nicely walks through the major personality theories, instruments to measure personality traits, and their relative use in forensic psychology. It then addresses personality characteristics and their relationship to a variety of practical situations, such as the selection of police officers, custody evaluations, personal injury lawsuits, cases of abuse, and sexual offenders. There are plenty of tables to summarize the information, including several extensive tables summarizing MMPI-2 results in various populations. Finally, each chapter is concluded with a helpful case study to illustrate key points.
Assessment:In sum, this book provides a well-written introduction to the use of personality assessment in forensic psychology. While it can be rather brief in its coverage of some areas, the text has a practical focus that will guide the reader through important details. For those familiar with personality assessment, but who are new to forensic psychology, this book will be a worthwhile addition.

"This book attempts to bridge these bodies of scientific literature and practice by demonstrating the central role of personality and personality disorders in the assessment of patients within the context of court-related issues and problems. It illustrates how personality-guided assessment adds to what the psychometricians might call "incremental validity," what the social psychologists might call "ecological validity," and what triers of fact (judges and juries) might call "the truth." The material in this book concentrates on the assessment of adults. However, in a few sections, material related to the assessment of juvenile offenders is included, especially the assessment of psychopathy and violence risk assessments"--Pref. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved) Introduction to Forensic Psychological Practice..pdf......Page 1 Models of Personality..pdf......Page 36 Police Psychology..pdf......Page 51 Child Custody Evaluations..pdf......Page 77 Personal Injury..pdf......Page 103 Harassment..pdf......Page 151 Sexual Offenders..pdf......Page 164 Assessment of Abuse, Aggression, and Lethal Violence.pdf......Page 215 Future Directions..pdf......Page 270 Introduction to Forensic Psychological Practice..pdf 1 Models of Personality..pdf 36 Police Psychology..pdf 51 Child Custody Evaluations..pdf 77 Personal Injury..pdf 103 Harassment..pdf 151 Sexual Offenders..pdf 164 Assessment of Abuse, Aggression, and Lethal Violence.pdf 215 Future Directions..pdf 270 Createb By Dr VetTox,LeaDeR 10-January-2009 Medicine, Forensic Science