NCJ Number
143082
Date Published
1991
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper briefly reviews the major literature on hostage incidents; it outlines the ways in which psychological research has contributed to this approach and also ways in which it could be used to improve the resolution of such incidents.
Abstract
The reviewed academic literature on hostage incidents covers the last 25 years and focuses primarily on incidents in North America. The topics addressed are the selection and training of negotiators, perpetrator typology, the negotiating process, and post-incident issues. Psychological methods can be used to improve both the selection and training of negotiators. To date, there is an absence of studies that compare the performances of trained negotiators, particularly those who perform well compared to those who perform less well. This may be a valuable way to improve selection and training of future negotiators. The data on perpetrator typologies is of varying quality; they are almost entirely on simple typologies of motivation. Studies of negotiation itself support the view that negotiation works, in that it frequently resolves conflicts with no injuries or minor injuries. Soskis and Van Zandt (1986) indicate that psychologists can contribute to the negotiation process in several ways; they can provide advice on the broad range of mental and behavioral disorders during training and hostage incidents, advise on the occurrence of situational stress reactions, and advise on the specific effects of drugs and alcohol on behavior. Studies of post- incident activities indicate that for most incidents, a detailed debriefing is likely to be all that is required. Overall, the author concludes that, with one or two exceptions, there has been a significant lack of quality research on hostage negotiation. The research which has been done is largely descriptive. This is a necessary first stage in any field of psychological work. 32 references