- Take a look back at your essential question. Did you answer it? Do you think that question was a good frame for your Senior Project? If not, how would you phrase that question now?
My essential questions in the beginning: What makes a successful profile? What makes a successful application of a profile? What are the dangers of psychological profiling? For the first question about what makes a successful profile, I’ve come to learn more about the methods that profilers use as well as the downsides of them. I think each of them works well in different situations so there’s no one successful method over the other. Through the course that I’m taking, I have learned so much more about the process of a crime and what leads to the arrest. I’ve also learned that profilers also give advice about interrogation strategies, conduct psychological assessments, and advise law enforcement. With all of that in mind, I decided to add the essential question, “How can psychological profilers successfully aid in the arrest and conviction of a suspect?”. For my second essential question, I decided that it wasn’t that important to have as an essential question but rather a smaller question to answer. For the question about the dangers of profiling, I realize that there aren’t as many dangers as I pictured. The answers I came up with for this question came about in unexpected ways when I actively wasn’t researching that specific topic.
2. Did you meet your goal(s) for Senior Project?
I don’t think I’ve met all of my goals as I might’ve made too many but I’ve accomplished a good deal of them. I’ve met two of my goals to study the Unabomber and the Michelle O’Keefe case. I am going to work on the Zodiac killer case this week to wrap up a little but I don’t think I’ll be able to go into great detail about the case. I am planning on meeting with a profiler as I just received a contact today and I think through that conversation I’ll able to meet more of my goals in greater detail. This includes one of my goals to understand how profilers can be held accountable for inaccurate profilers and how that can be prevented. I’ve also met my goal of meeting with a bunch of different perspectives in the legal field, including Michael Bourke, the Chief of the U.S Marshal Service Behavioral Analysis Unit who is also a psychologist and in the past has worked with sex offenders, Michelle Kaminsky who is the Chief of the Domestic Violence Bureau at the District Attorney’s office; Shiloh Catanese who is a psychologist that works in law enforcement, the crisis negotiation team, and also specializes in forensic psychology, and finally I plan on meeting with a profiler Jan Jum.
12. What was the hardest aspect of the Senior Project process and experience? Most rewarding?
The hardest aspect was focusing on my work and how to plan my day but I think I’ve gotten better at that. The most rewarding was being able to apply what I’ve learned so far to the Unabomber case and the course that I’m taking. It felt great to be able to read other people’s comments who have taken the course too and get different opinions on the profile.
13. What is the one thing you want your audience to learn or understand from your presentation on Senior Project Evening?
I think I want them to get a better understanding of psychological profiling since it’s not too well known. I also want them to see what it actually like rather than just speaking to people about methods, the process, etc.
14. How might you demonstrate your learning?
I think I want to present parts of my slideshow about the Unabomber case as well as important terminology and concepts to people through a google slideshow. I am working on a slideshow of the Unabomber case that goes over the details leading to his arrest as well as psychological assessments about Ted Kaczynski and what he is like. That way, people are able to get an understanding of what psychological profiling is like. Then afterward, I want to talk about this is so important to me and my experiences.