If you were to walk up to any stranger and ask if they could detect a lie, there is a high probability that you would receive an affirmative answer. Research however indicates that our ability to detect a lie is no better than chance. Still, we persist and in a sense the criminal justice system reflects just how tenaciously we hold to this mythological belief.
The field of forensic psychology is generally about psychology and the legal system. There is however one area of which few may be aware. Forensic psychologist also consult in domains that have an international impact. Take the war on terrorism, for example.
While the United States was introduced to ritual murders via cult dabblers, and basically, rather psychotically sociopathic individuals, beginning in the 1960s, it was not until the early 1980s that allegations of ritual murder began to evolve, indicating that a far more sinister plot might be afoot.
In his book, “The Sacred Executioner,” Hyam Maccoby notes:
“A figure in mythology that has received little attention is that of the Sacred Executioner. […] By taking the blame for the slaying, he is performing a great service to society, for not only does he perform the deed, but he takes upon himself the blame for it, and thus absolves society as a whole completely from the guilt of a slaying for which they, in fact, are responsible and by which, in theory at least, they benefit.” (Maccoby, 1982, p 7-8)
On Wednesday, April 13, 2006, 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin was reported missing by her father. Investigators thought she may have been abducted by someone she met online. Oklahoma law enforcement suspected her abductor might be heading just across the border to Texas and requested Texas issue an Amber alert.
While non-verbal cues can come into play when observing social interaction, words are the very essence of human communication. With words, we can paint pictures of our subjective experience, share intimate and not so intimate information with others, identify common interests, provide consolation, and even entertainment.
When the first murmurings of recovering memories of childhood sexual abuse appeared society was gripped in an almost religious fervor. Hardly a day went by when at least one talk show had a guest who claimed to have been sexually abused or yet another celebrity went public about their sexual abuse as a child.
In his book, “Bluebird: Deliberate Creation of Multiple Personality by Psychiatrists,” Colin A. Ross, M.D., past President of the ISSD,[1] FMSF member,[2] and author of several books[3] and over 100 scientific papers, offers answers to what many have asserted for years.
