Dangerous Instincts: Use an FBI Profiler's Tactics to Avoid Unsafe Situations

by Mary Ellen O'Toole Ph.D, Alisa Bowman

Overview

Fear can't help you in a dangerous situation. A former FBI profiler shows you what can.

As one of the world's top experts on psychopathy and criminal behavior, Mary Ellen O'Toole has seen repeatedly how relying on the sense of fear alone often fails to protect us from danger. Whether you are opening the door to a stranger or meeting a date you connected with online, you need to know how to protect yourself from harm-physical, financial, legal, and professional.

Using the SMART method, which O'Toole developed and used at the FBI, we can confidently know how to:

• Respond to a threat in any situation
• Hire someone who will work inside your home like a contractor or housekeeper
• Figure out whether a prospective employee is a safe bet
• Know whom you can trust with your children

  An especially useful book for women living alone, parents who are concerned about their children's safety, and employers worried about employees who might go postal, Dangerous Instincts gives us the tools used by professionals to navigate potentially hazardous waters. Like The Gift of Fear and The Sociopath Next Door, it will appeal to anyone looking to make the right call in an ever threatening world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101545164
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/13/2011
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	499 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Mary Ellen O'Toole, PhD, retired from the FBI in 2009. She lectures at the Smithsonian, and frequently speaks all over the world.
Alisa Bowman is the coauthor of six New York Times best- sellers.
Visit dangerousinstincts.com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Test Your Instincts 3

Chapter 2 The Dangers of Relying on Instincts and Intuition 27

Chapter 3 Personality: It's What Makes People Tick 41

Chapter 4 What Makes People Dangerous 53

Chapter 5 Why We Miss the Details That Matter 83

Chapter 6 How to Improve Your Judgment 101

Chapter 7 How to Assess and Mitigate Risk 121

Chapter 8 How to Uncover Information 137

Chapter 9 How to Size Someone Up 177

Chapter 10 How to Make a Decision 197

Chapter 11 The Dangerous Instincts Safety Guide 233

Appendix: The Dangerous Instincts Resource List 241

Notes 247

Index 249

Editorial Reviews

As a FBI profiler, Mary Ellen O'Toole dealt daily with dangers that most of our parents and grandparents never imagined. Protecting ourselves and our loved ones from crime has, however, become a matter of concern for all of us; and this veteran expert on wrongdoers has designed a book to protect us from harm at home, at work, and online. Dangerous Instincts reminds us that there is no dearth of threats out there; from child predators to net scammers to employees who are ticking time-bombs; but O'Toole doesn't just sound alarms; she offers preventive solutions. A valuable book whether you're protecting your child, yourself, your reputation, or your bank book.

Mary Ellen O’Toole is my hero! In Dangerous Instincts she offers sound advice and fascinating examples gleaned from her long career in the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. This book will save many lives—including, quite possibly, your own. Whether the knowledge you find herein saves you from a con man, a rapist, a thief, a killer, or just a miserable marriage, this is a classic, valuable book. I recommend it highly to all my family, friends, and readers.”—Ann Rule, author of THE STRANGER BESIDE ME

“A masterful and compelling primer on survival in a world in which people are not always what we think them to be. Dr. O’Toole’s deep understanding of the nature and implications of psychopathy. . . is particularly impressive, and shared by only a few other criminal investigators. This is an important and well-written book on topics of concern to everyone. A great read, highly recommended.”—Robert Hare, Ph.D., author of WITHOUT CONSCIENCE
 

“In this absorbing read, [O’Toole] discusses why people trusted Bernie Madoff and Ted Bundy and dissects online dating responses and typical blind spots. The author helps readers analyze their decision-making patterns and provides a guide for helping them to assess and mitigate risk. O’Toole’s book will provide insight to everyone, but it’s particularly helpful for women living alone, parents concerned about their children’s safety, or employers worried about perplexing employee behavior.”—Library Journal

From the Publisher