Psychological Aspects of Crisis Negotiation

You arrive at the location. From the information you've been given, an individual…or individuals… has taken at least three…or ten… people hostage. There are demands made, threats boasted, and a deadline given. With all of the hysteria surrounding the scene, how do you discern what is really going on, how do you know who you are dealing with - and just what his…or their…state of mind is?

Focusing on the psychological makeup and motivation of the
hostage taker, the victim, and the negotiator, Psychological Aspects of Crisis Negotiation equips those on the scene with vital information that allows for fast, safe, and accurate decision making. The author, a seasoned FBI agent and crisis negotiation instructor, divides the content of the book into five comprehensive, yet accessible parts.

The topics in Part I discuss negotiation basics: the traits and training necessary for success, the toll that stress takes on the negotiator, negotiation teams, and the effects of third-party involvement in the process. Part II describes how to react when dealing with suicidal hostage-takers, police-assisted suicide, and crisis negotiations in a correctional setting. It also explains how to negotiate with those who have personality disorders, what to say, and not to say, to each type.

Part III discusses situational indicators as they pertain to subject surrender and volatile negotiations that involve the violent and the suicidal. Group dynamics are explored in Part IV through examination of the incidents in Waco and Ruby Ridge. This section also includes creative criteria for constructive deviation from the guidelines of negotiation. Part V illustrates hostage issues such as the phases of a crisis, the Stockholm Syndrome, and what to communicate to a hostage.

While you never know what type of situation you are responding to, Psychological Aspects of Crisis Negotiation is an important resource to have with you at all times…just in case.