This article provides a developmental overview of threat assessment as a professional and academic discipline. The authors trace its origins from early protective intelligence work and forensic psychiatry to its institutionalization in schools, workplaces,...

This article reviews the role of antisocial personality traits and disorders in the context of targeted violence. While antisociality is common in criminal populations, the authors argue that its contribution to targeted violence is often indirect, mediated through...

This paper explores the phenomenology, prevalence, and behavioral patterns of female stalkers, a subgroup often underrepresented in stalking research. Drawing on clinical samples, criminal justice data, and case studies, the authors examine motivational typologies,...

This article reviews the behavioral, psychological, and situational characteristics of mass murderers through a threat assessment framework. Drawing on case series, investigative findings, and clinical literature, the authors analyze common features including...

This foundational review outlines the conceptual, historical, and methodological roots of modern behavioral threat assessment. Synthesizing developments from forensic psychology, law enforcement, psychiatry, intelligence analysis, and organizational risk management,...

This article examines the longstanding divide between academic research (“scholars”) and operational practitioners (“operators”) in the field of threat assessment. Through analysis of case experience, disciplinary norms, and institutional incentives, the authors show...

This case study examines the 2014 Isla Vista attacks through an integrated behavioral threat assessment framework, synthesizing developmental history, psychosocial stressors, digital communications, and pre-incident behaviors to illustrate the convergence of multiple...

Leakage—communications to a third party indicating an individual’s intent to do harm—has become a central construct in modern threat assessment, yet its conceptual boundaries and operational utility remain unevenly understood. This paper traces the origins of the...

Employers confronting potential workplace violence must navigate a complex intersection of safety obligations, employee rights, and legal risk. This chapter outlines the principal legal frameworks governing employer responsibilities during threat assessment and...

Lone actor targeted violence is often the result of pathological fixations driven by extreme overvalued beliefs. An extreme overvalued belief is shared by others in a person’s cultural, religious, or subcultural group. The belief is often relished, amplified, and...