Customer Reviews

The Myth of the Out of Character Crime

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Myth of the Out of Character Crime

While this book examines criminal behavior, I recommend Dr. Samenow's, The Myth of the Out of Character Crime to anyone involved in a helping profession. Very few of my clients are court referred, but I find his thoughtful interviewing techniques very helpful. His idea of discussing a "Videotape" is worth the price of the book.

Rather than mining and sorting through the typical excuses we hear purporting to explain "why" someone appears to have acted out of character, he helps us understand this complex issue.

Samenow's focus on what he describes as "Errors in thinking" peels away the facade of the respectable person who commits unthinkable acts.

Harold Hansen,
Eugene, Oregon

This book expands on an earlier work by Samenow, Inside the Criminal Mind. A forensic psychologist who evaluates defendants to see if they are fit to stand trial, Samenow here argues that there really is no such thing as an "out-of-character crime." What is much more likely is that criminal behavior in a previous "model citizen" is really an extreme manifestation of selfish, self-serving character traits that were there all along to those who knew how to see them. His discussion of the rationalizations and techniques that criminals use to avoid examining their behavior is extremely valuable: the same tactics, in less-drastic form are often used by unethical people in everyday life to rationalize more petty but no less self-serving behavior. In particular, one case study he presented (that of a man accused of serial child molestation) was extremely disturbing. It's a great follow-up to his original book, and if you haven't read Inside the Criminal Mind, I urge you to do so.

The book's premise is that people act ACCORDING to character, not OUT OF character. Character is what a person "is." Reputation is what others think us to be. A thought-provoking, revealing book.

Samuel Samenow has been evaluating criminals for over 30 years. This insightful book clearly shows that these criminals who were such "model citizens" before committing horrific crimes, were in reality building up to it for quite awhile. He shows how they were flawed people who where simply good at hiding it. The only reason I couldn't give it 5 stars is he didn't really give us any hints as to how we could spot some of these characteristics in one of these future criminals before we ourselves might become a victor. Some of these killers killed the very ones they lived with. You would have thought the victims could have seen it coming.