# Applying Calvinism to Aberrant Behavior and Criminal Profiling



## JohnGill (May 12, 2010)

Because of my job I am getting a double major in Intelligence Analysis and Psychology. My focus in psychology is Criminal or Aberrant Psychology. As I'm sure you all know, modern psychology is flooded with secularism. Criminal Psychology has as its primary foundation behavioral, evolutionary, and sociological psychology. These three have evolutionism as their primary foundation. So the overall foundation of Criminal Psychology is subjective. What I would like to do is apply what the Bible teaches about human nature (Total Depravity, restraining power of the Holy Ghost) to the subject of Criminal Psychology and eventually to Criminal Profiling. So here are some questions I've been asking myself:

What personality traits and patterns does the Bible teach?
Are the personality traits and patterns commonly accepted in criminal profiling biblically sound?
Are the personality disorders of criminal profiling biblically sound?
How do you determine whether they are or not? (What standard?)

List of most common traits and patterns:

Egocentricity, Impulsivity, Frustration, Narcissism, Obsessive-Compulsiveness, Paranoia, Sadism, Aggressivity, Ambivalence

(I think of Saul when I read that list.)

Personality Disorders:

Antisocial Personality Disorder, Psychopathic Personality Disorder, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Dependent Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Personality, Dysthymic Personality, Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder

In reference to Maslow's Hierarchy, does it have any validity with regard to scripture?

Could the majority of these traits and disorders be kept and given a biblical background?

It seems that if one could base Criminal Profiling on a biblical foundation, then the accuracy of a profile should increase.

Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

(Mods: I put it here because it seemed the most logical.)


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## Blue Tick (May 12, 2010)

> What personality traits and patterns does the Bible teach?
> Are the personality traits and patterns commonly accepted in criminal profiling biblically sound?
> Are the personality disorders of criminal profiling biblically sound?
> How do you determine whether they are or not? (What standard?)



Simply put all modern psychology has accomplished is applying a nomenclature to human behavior. This nomenclature though is defined by a humanistic world view. There's truth in understanding behavior but the issue with MP is it typical blames environment instead of sin. The biggest obstacle will be counseling. How to deal with unrepentant sin. Not sure what your career goals are? Habitual rebellious behavior is nothing more than consistent unrepentant sin.

1. The bible teaches (toward God and neighbor) all men hate their neighbors.

2. Yes, they are to a degree. MP is using a "synonym" to describe behavior. E.G., egocentricity (selfish, loving self), impulsive (rash, feeding the flesh), frustration (anxious, impatient). The list goes one.

3. Personality disorders. They do exist and some people may indeed have a chemical imbalance that affects their ability to engage properly. As far as profiling the evidence may suggest that certain people have a "disorder". However, several of these disorders are a result of sinful behavior that's never been corrected.

4. Take the Passive/Aggressive disorder. How would this be defined biblically? The disorder displays the traits of rebellion, laziness, selfishness, and stubbornness. How about intermittent explosive disorder? Not sure what this is? Sounds like someone can't control their spirit,i.e, temper. Scripture has a lot to say about controlling one's temper. The key is to decode what the humanist calls a disorder and find the biblical definition for the disorder.


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## SemperEruditio (May 12, 2010)

Since I work with who should be considered a case study in Passive-Aggressiveness how this is best defined is hidden-anger. All the rebellion, laziness, selfishness, and stubbornness is anger that is being redirected and expressed in other ways. We from the secular perspective are taught that anger is wrong and displays of it are weakness in our character. Yet we are told in scripture to be slow to anger and once we reach the point of anger to sin not. PA is about manipulation and deceit. In one very real sense the devil was being PA in the garden. We know he is angry but he hid that anger and instead manipulated Adam and Eve ever so calmly. One can read it and even say that it was Adam and Eve's fault because the devil was only doing what he does andt PA people do the same thing and avoid the same blame. They are masters at charm. There is much the bible talks about in regarding deceit and anger. PA people string a web of lies but catching them is like catching smoke with your bare hands.


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## Blue Tick (May 12, 2010)

Well said Frank.


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## CNJ (May 12, 2010)

Chris,

I don't know what Calvin would say about these syndromes and disorders and he would not use those terms which excuse sin and total depravity. What the WC says about the ten commandments would be helpful to apply for some of these terms. 

Books by Reformed psychologist Jay Adams would be a great source for dealing with Christians in counseling. Several of us in my church are working slowly on a degree in counseling from a nouthetic or biblical prespective from Whitefield Seminary located at my church.


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## Puritan Scot (May 12, 2010)

*In reference to Maslow's Hierarchy, does it have any validity with regard to scripture?*

As you will be aware Abraham Maslow was first and foremost an ardent humanist and only then a psychologist.

For him the first table of God's Moral Law would have been an anathema and any outward good in his methodology associated to the second table of God's Moral Law would only be from the vantage point of human preservation and survival rather than from any affinity towards scripture. As such I would be inclined to give him a wide berth or at very best treat with much caution. 

The Bible is the believers great handbook in this life - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." - 2 Tim 3v16,17

Marin & Bobgan, who run "PsychoHeresy Awareness Ministries", have written two excellent books giving the Word of God its rightful place in this sphere of work.

(1) Competent to Minister - The Biblical Care of Souls
(2) Against "Biblical Counseling" - For the Bible

Both are published by - EastGate Publishers, Santa Barbara, California


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## JohnGill (May 12, 2010)

Puritan Scot said:


> *In reference to Maslow's Hierarchy, does it have any validity with regard to scripture?*
> 
> As you will be aware Abraham Maslow was first and foremost an ardent humanist and only then a psychologist.
> 
> ...



I was more wondering if Maslow's Hierarchy, which is subjective, could be used in some sense. I was wondering that with the whole issue. Can we take these terms and definitions, which have as their foundation the subjectivism of their various philosophies, and either move them completely to a Biblical footing or rework them from the ground up. The depravity of man expresses itself in different manners. How do we classify those expressions and how do we look at a crime scene of a murder and determine which expressions are present? I was considering the listing given in Romans 1:24-32. My interest in the psychology is more for investigation of serial crimes, rape, murder, arson, robbery, etc. I have no interest in the vain attempt to apply modern psychology to solving man's "psychological" problems. What are the root sin(s) that motivate violent criminals?


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## BlackCalvinist (May 13, 2010)

JohnGill said:


> Because of my job I am getting a double major in Intelligence Analysis and Psychology. My focus in psychology is Criminal or Aberrant Psychology. As I'm sure you all know, modern psychology is flooded with secularism. Criminal Psychology has as its primary foundation behavioral, evolutionary, and sociological psychology. These three have evolutionism as their primary foundation. So the overall foundation of Criminal Psychology is subjective. What I would like to do is apply what the Bible teaches about human nature (Total Depravity, restraining power of the Holy Ghost) to the subject of Criminal Psychology and eventually to Criminal Profiling.



First off, EXCELLENT job of attempting to apply theology to life. 

I teach middle school, so I see miniature versions of the behaviors you're studying now in the students I have. Some eventually will grow out of them (thankfully) with the onset of 'reality' when they hit the 9th grade. 

My approach may seem a bit simple, but try plugging personality disorders into this matrix:

1. Because of Total Depravity, unregenerate man will seek out that which is most pleasurable to him at the time

2. Because of #1, man will train himself through repeated actions, to ignore the long-term consequences of his/her actions (see #3)

3. Because of #1 and #2, man will eventually give himself over to some specific sin so that it will master him/her (which is why virtually every pedophile starts off with a **** addiction)

4. Because of #1,2 and 3, man seeks to preserve himself first via any means necessary (for example, I have students lying to me about their behavior, even after I've stared at them for minutes on end and even when caught on school cameras)

I hope this kinda helps you 'figure' things out. This is 5 years of teaching middle school and dealing with 12-14 year olds (I taught high school prior to that).


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## JohnGill (May 13, 2010)

SemperEruditio said:


> Since I work with who should be considered a case study in Passive-Aggressiveness how this is best defined is hidden-anger. All the rebellion, laziness, selfishness, and stubbornness is anger that is being redirected and expressed in other ways. We from the secular perspective are taught that anger is wrong and displays of it are weakness in our character. Yet we are told in scripture to be slow to anger and once we reach the point of anger to sin not. PA is about manipulation and deceit. In one very real sense the devil was being PA in the garden. We know he is angry but he hid that anger and instead manipulated Adam and Eve ever so calmly. One can read it and even say that it was Adam and Eve's fault because the devil was only doing what he does andt PA people do the same thing and avoid the same blame. They are masters at charm. There is much the bible talks about in regarding deceit and anger. PA people string a web of lies but catching them is like catching smoke with your bare hands.


 
How would you define the other traits and disorders?

One of the ideas I have been considering is reading each account of gross sin in the Bible and looking at the outcome of the behavior and developing a profile of that individual. Do you know if anyone has done this before?


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## SemperEruditio (May 13, 2010)

JohnGill said:


> SemperEruditio said:
> 
> 
> > Since I work with who should be considered a case study in Passive-Aggressiveness how this is best defined is hidden-anger. All the rebellion, laziness, selfishness, and stubbornness is anger that is being redirected and expressed in other ways. We from the secular perspective are taught that anger is wrong and displays of it are weakness in our character. Yet we are told in scripture to be slow to anger and once we reach the point of anger to sin not. PA is about manipulation and deceit. In one very real sense the devil was being PA in the garden. We know he is angry but he hid that anger and instead manipulated Adam and Eve ever so calmly. One can read it and even say that it was Adam and Eve's fault because the devil was only doing what he does andt PA people do the same thing and avoid the same blame. They are masters at charm. There is much the bible talks about in regarding deceit and anger. PA people string a web of lies but catching them is like catching smoke with your bare hands.
> ...


 
Brother I'm not familiar with those others. I'm intimately familiar with PA because I was falling into its clutches. There's a powerful PA book entitled _The 48 Laws of Power_ which is all about how to be manipulative and conniving. When I read it 10 years ago I saw myself in its pages and I was disgusted. I wasn't a Christian at the time even though I called myself one. God used that book to plant the seed of how disgusting PA behavior is. As Providence would have it I now work for a Jedi Master of PA. He can walk into a meeting with HR where he is going to reprimanded and walk out with an award and everyone wondering what is wrong with them. Those who are really good with PA have you thinking you did something wrong when they're the ones who robbed the bank...and you were the teller. It's amazing and completely revolting at the same time.

So I can't help you with those others. I have enough of a challenge with my PA that springs up from time to time and trying to deal with all the PA that's around these days. When women display PA I can understand it but never from a man. Yet we do it to our boys everytime we tell them _I don't want to see you angry...what do you have to be angry about...."_ One sure fire sign for grown men especially those with power is when they say _"Yeah I'm the Commanding Officer, but I'm just another cog in the wheel..."_ or something to that effect. That is a loud and clear sign you are dealing with a PA man and best to know that upfront.

As to your other question, I'm not sure if anyone has attempted to profile biblical characters. Not sure there is enough to do so without using a lot of conjecture or imagination.


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