The Forensic Files

From psychopathy and stalking to violence and threat assessment.

J. Reid Meloy Ph.D.

Threat Assessment Team Negligence: The Taft Union Case

Are there rules that guide threat assessment teams in high schools? There are now.

The Menu for an Extremist Ideology

What are the ingredients in the toxic stew of extremist ideology?

Icon Intimidation and Sexual Predation

Icon intimidation often stops investigation and prosecution of criminal sexual predation. A forensic psychologist and retired FBI criminal profiler explain why.

Mass Murder in the Entertainment Capital of the World

What are the factors which make entertainment venues an attractive target for mass murderers?

Public Figure Attackers in the United States, 1995-2015

What motivates those who violently attack public figures? A new study reveals some surprising findings.

Mass Murder Trending

Mass murder is trending, and contagion, cultural scripts, and cyberspace play a role

The Warning Behavior of Identification

The warning behavior of identification may be useful to assess risk for targeted violence by lone terrorists and other attackers of civilians.

Allahu Akbar! A Psychological Abstract for Mass Murder?

Psychological abstracts are phrases shouted loudly and with great emotion prior to a mass murder by many perpetrators. They convey the conscious rationale for the act, which typically masks other, more personal motivations. "Allahu Akbar!" is such an abstract for violent jihadists, but is an authoritarian perversion of a peaceful and personal religious utterance.

The Lone Terrorist in the Workplace

Analyzing the three components of motivation when a lone terrorist embarks on a pathway toward violence in the workplace.

Seven Myths of Mass Murder

The role of firearms, mental disorder, planning and preparation, the illusion of "snapping," and the dynamics of Knoll's "revenge and obliteration" are emphasized.