Profiling is used in dramatic scenes throughout crime films and TV shows. While this skill can be used for intense, crime-solving purposes, you’ll probably use it to tune into the thoughts and feelings of your acquaintances and loved ones. Don’t verbally profile a person unless you have their permission.
According to social penetration theory, the outermost layer is a person’s “public image,” or how they portray themselves to other people. A person’s “middle layers” relate more to how they see the world. Social and political opinions can be categorized here. The “inner layers” include a person’s phobias, dreams, hopes, and religious beliefs. These are pieces of information that you can’t get from a basic conversation. The “core personality” is considered the central layer, and it includes very private information about a person.
Chances are, you won’t be using your profiling skills for any law enforcement purpose. Instead, use profiling as a way to understand how a person is feeling so you can interact with them in a more polite and productive way.
Try to identify any internalized prejudice right off the bat. If you automatically view someone differently because of their gender or race, take time to backtrack so you can view them from an unbiased perspective. If you’re having trouble connecting with other groups of people, try befriending someone from a different cultural background. This might help increase your understanding and open-mindedness in the profiling process.
Profiling and establishing baseline behaviors both involve a lot of observation. Baseline behaviors set the standard, while profiling explores deviations in the way a person presents themselves. The baseline is related to the normal and abnormal cues that are presented through verbal and nonverbal communications.
You can get a lot of insight into a person’s ego level by watching their posture. Someone who walks with swagger has a lot more self-confidence than someone walking with hunched shoulders.
You can also tell a lot about a person’s nerves given how they act in a conversation. For instance, cuticle picking and lip biting are common nervous habits for different individuals. If a person hides their hands throughout a conversation, you can safely assume that they aren’t being completely upfront with you.
While a clenched jaw doesn’t necessarily mean that a person is angry, it generally means that they’re tense and uncomfortable. Use the context of the conversation to figure out these behaviors. For instance, if you ask a friend for money while you’re eating dinner together, see if their facial expression or jaw tenses in any way. If you detect some kind of tense expression, you can assume that your friend isn’t happy with your request.
For instance, if a customer in a store is verbally harassing a sales associate, then the customer is exhibiting aggressive behavior. While aggressive behavior can be obviously detected through physical violence, you can also witness it through toxic, bullying behavior.
People who are unable to display empathy and compassion tend to fall in the “psychopath” category.
For instance, a person wearing a suit and fancy shoes probably takes themselves more seriously than a person wearing casual, comfortable clothes. Pay attention to the accessories, tattoos, and other memorabilia a person has, and see if these items indicate any spiritual values or preferences.
For instance, if an expressive person starts hiding their hands in a conversation, you can profile that they aren’t being completely honest or open. Try to identify large changes in a person’s speech. If they start speaking casually to someone they usually use formal language with, you can assume that the person is in a friendly mood, or that they are becoming friends with the other individual.
Posture can also be situational in different conversations. If a person is speaking with someone that they don’t like, their posture will reflect that. For instance, a person will lean away from someone that they’re not close or friendly with.
If a person can’t make consistent eye contact, it might mean that they’re hiding something.
For instance, if a person’s voice sounds rigid, they might be irritated or uncomfortable with some aspect of the conversation.
