Operational Psychology

Details the growth, roles, and applications of this new specialty aiming to protect American national and public well-being in the face of increasing and novel threats both inside and outside the United States. In this age of asymmetric warfare, increasing home-grown terrorism, and continuing threats from abroad, a new specialty has emerged and expanded-operational psychology. Operational psychology plays a unique role in supporting issues of national security, national defense, and public safety. In this book, authors Mark A. Staal and Sally C. Harvey, both operational psychologists and retired military colonels, lead a team of experts explaining the field, its many roles, and how it is expanding. Topics include its application in intelligence, counterintelligence, and counterterrorism activities, consultation in high-risk training, criminal investigations including those of internet crimes against children, threat assessment, interrogations, aviation, personnel selection, and leadership development. The text addresses the ethical questions and controversies that surround some of these roles, such as those associated with interrogation techniques. It also describes the role of operational psychologists in activities ranging from assessing and training people for maximum resiliency and hardiness to profiling people and groups of concern in national security investigations.

Sally C. Harvey, PhD, is a retired Colonel and a clinical psychologist at Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Hood, TX. Mark A. Staal is the owner of OSS Consulting, LLC in Southern Pines, NC, and previous command psychologist for the Air Force's Special Operations Command.

Foreword Colonel (Ret) Thomas J. Williams, PhD Acknowledgments Part One Foundations of Operational Psychology Chapter 1 History, Goals, and Applications of Operational Psychology Mark A. Staal and Sally C. Harvey Chapter 2 Cross-Cultural Issues in Operational Psychology Mark A. Staal and Brendon Bluestein Chapter 3 The Ethics of Operational Psychology Mark A. Staal and Sally C. Harvey Part Two Human Performance Optimization and Consultation Chapter 4 Personnel Suitability Screening Barbara Thompson, Chad E. Morrow, and Mark A. Staal Chapter 5 Operational Psychology Consultation within Special Operations Units Sally C. Harvey Chapter 6 Consultation to Leadership and Organizational Development Mark A. Staal Chapter 7 Operational Psychology Consultation to Aviation Shawnna Chee and Mark A. Staal Part Three Consultation to Operations Chapter 8 Operational Psychology in Insider Threat Christopher Myers and Amanda Trent Chapter 9 Investigative Psychology: Applying Psychological Science to Military Criminal Investigations Heather L. Morris and David G. Ray Chapter 10 Foundations of Indirect Assessment Daniel J. Neller Chapter 11 Behavioral Science Consultation to Military Interrogations Mark A. Staal Part Four Operations Research Chapter 12 The High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG): Inception, Evolution, and Outcomes Susan E. Brandon, Joeanna C. Arthur, David G. Ray, Christian A. Meissner, Steven M. Kleinman, Melissa B. Russano, and Simon Wells Chapter 13 A Scientific Perspective on the 2006 U.S. Army Field Manual 2-22.3 Susan E. Brandon, Steven M. Kleinman, and Joeanna C. Arthur Chapter 14 Psychology of Terrorism and Self-Radicalization Mark A. Staal and Christopher Myers Part Five Future Directions in Operational Psychological Applications Chapter 15 Operational Psychology: A Bridge from the Past to Future Applications Mark A. Staal and Sally C. Harvey About the Editors and Contributors Index