Chris Hatcher (psychologist)
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Chris Hatcher | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 |
| Died | 1999 (aged 52–53) |
| Alma mater | University of California, San Francisco |
| Occupation | Clinical psychologist |
Chris Hatcher, Ph.D., (1946 – 1999) was a clinical psychologist at the University of California, San Francisco, who was an expert in police and forensic psychology. He dedicated his professional life to the study of violence and its prevention. He died unexpectedly at the age of 52.[1]
Hatcher was one of the first experts to recognize the importance of understanding workplace violence and develop methods of threat assessment. He was acutely aware that the damage came not only from the violence itself in the workplace, but from mental torture created by the fear of threats of violence. He tried to develop an organized method of identifying and assessing threats before violence occurred, helping organizations determine the signs and symptoms of stress in an employee that could trigger violence, stressing understanding the process through which stress develops into a violence act by an employee. He served as an effective consultant on site once violence was threatened, working to free employees from the fear created by the threats. He advocated a multidisciplinary approach in responding to and containing workplace violence through, among other methods, effective employee assistance programs.[2]
Hatcher also worked with the victims of violence to help them cope. For example, he worked with the father of Polly Klaas, Marc Klaas, after her murder.[1]
Criminal profiling
Hatcher was an expert in forensic areas, including the study of the mind of various types of murderers. In dealing with the cult leader, David Koresh, in the Waco siege, he believed that it was important to understand that cults require constant excitement to bind them to the cult leader. He said a violent confrontation with cult members played into their beliefs of being persecuted, increasing the probability of violent deaths. In his analysis, the first stage of violence occurs when the cult leader tells his followers that evil forces are out to get the cult so the cult must develop security to protect itself.[3]
Hatcher analyzed the behavioral patterns of the Tylenol killer and determined that the Tylenol killer's thinking patterns were similar to that of an arsonist or bomber, not those of a mass murderer. While many killers receive some satisfaction in stalking their victims, the Tylenol killer was more technically oriented and removed, not specifically choosing any one victim and not seeming to care who was killed. Unlike most killers, he had no direct contact with his victim.[4]
Through such careful study and organized observation of criminal behavior, Hatcher became expert in criminal profiling.[5]
