What you'll learn:
- Understand why people commit crimes through psychological, social, and biological factors
- Analyse criminal behaviour using real forensic psychology frameworks (not guesswork or myths)
- Learn how offender profiling works — what it can and cannot realistically do in investigations
- Identify key personality disorders linked to criminal behaviour, including antisocial and psychopathic traits
- Explore risk assessment and what actually reduces re-offending (the “what works” model)
- Understand how forensic psychologists contribute to real cases, courts, and rehabilitation
Why do people commit crimes?
Is it personality, environment, trauma — or something deeper?
And more importantly… can criminal behaviour be understood, predicted, or even prevented?
Welcome to Forensic Psychology: Criminal Behaviour & Profiling — a course designed to take you beyond myths, media stereotypes, and surface-level explanations of crime.
In this course, you will explore the psychological foundations of offending behaviour through real theories, research, and practical frameworks used in forensic settings.
You will learn:
Why eyewitness testimony is often unreliable — and how memory can be distorted
The difference between psychopathy, antisocial personality disorder, and other mental health conditions linked to crime
How offender profiling works — and its real role in investigations (beyond TV portrayals)
The psychological motivations behind violent, sexual, and fire-setting behaviours
What actually reduces re-offending, including the “What Works” and Risk–Need–Responsivity (RNR) model
How forensic psychologists contribute to assessments, courts, and rehabilitation processes
This course is suitable whether you are:
considering a career in psychology or criminology
expanding your professional knowledge
or simply fascinated by criminal minds and human behaviour
You will gain not only knowledge, but a deeper way of thinking about behaviour, responsibility, and the complexity of human actions.
P.S. This course is fully accredited, and you will have the opportunity to obtain a certificate of completion.
About the Instructor
Elmira Strange, PhD, is a research psychologist and experienced educator with over 10 years of teaching experience. She has taught psychology at university level in the UK and internationally, and has created bestselling courses in psychology, mental health, and personal development.
Her teaching combines academic knowledge with clear, engaging explanations designed to make complex topics accessible and meaningful.
