High-Risk vs Manageable Behaviour: What Professionals Look For

When psychologists or risk assessors use tools like the HCR-20 or PCL-R, they are not guessing — they are looking for specific patterns that predict escalation or persistence. 🚩 High-Risk Red Flags These are the behaviours that raise serious concern because they are linked to ongoing or escalating harm: 1. Persistence Over Time 👉 Indicates: deeply ingrained behaviour, not situational 2.… Read More High-Risk vs Manageable Behaviour: What Professionals Look For

How These Assessments Apply in Real Situations

When psychologists assess someone with patterns like: they’re not just looking at incidents — they’re looking at patterns across time, thinking style, and likelihood of change. 1. Using the HCR-20 in This Context A professional would map behaviour like this: Historical (H) They would look for: 👉 This builds a picture of whether the behaviour is situational or lifelong.… Read More How These Assessments Apply in Real Situations

The full psychological picture:

Here’s a clear, simple explanation of each of these tools — what they are, how they’re used, and what they actually assess: 1. HCR-20 (Historical, Clinical, Risk Management-20) This is a professional risk assessment tool used mainly by psychologists, psychiatrists, and forensic specialists to evaluate the likelihood of future violent behaviour. What it looks at: It is divided into… Read More The full psychological picture:

Does Meanness Run in Families? Understanding Patterns That Seem to Pass Down Generations

“Meanness is often a deep, enduring pattern. You can’t cure it with more giving, more patience, or more self-sacrifice.” That truth leads to an important question: Does meanness run in families? The answer is not simple — but patterns absolutely can repeat across generations. It’s Not Just Personality — It’s Learned Behaviour Children don’t just… Read More Does Meanness Run in Families? Understanding Patterns That Seem to Pass Down Generations

Why People Align With Others They Don’t Even Like — The Neuroscience Behind It

At first glance, it can seem confusing — even contradictory — when someone aligns themselves with people they clearly don’t like, simply because there is something to gain. But neuroscience helps explain this behaviour. 1. Reward Overrides Authenticity The brain is wired to seek reward. When there is a perceived benefit — money, status, access,… Read More Why People Align With Others They Don’t Even Like — The Neuroscience Behind It

Abusive or high-conflict personalities.

Low impulse control becomes much more significant — and more harmful — when it shows up in abusive or high-conflict personalities. Here’s how it typically plays out: 1. Fast Emotional Reactions Turn Into Harmful Behaviour In these personalities, emotions (especially anger, frustration, or feeling “disrespected”) rise very quickly — and there’s little pause before acting. So… Read More Abusive or high-conflict personalities.

Criminal Liability, Behavioural Control, and the Neuroscience of Post-Separation Abuse

When abuse continues after separation, it is often misunderstood as emotional “refusal to move on.” In reality, psychology and neuroscience show that entrenched behavioural patterns do not automatically soften when a relationship ends — and in some cases, external distance can intensify control-based responses. At the same time, in many jurisdictions, behaviours such as harassment,… Read More Criminal Liability, Behavioural Control, and the Neuroscience of Post-Separation Abuse

Why Abuse Doesn’t Stop After Separation: What Neuroscience and Psychology Really Tell Us

A common belief is that separation from an abusive partner should naturally lead to a reduction in abusive behaviour. In reality, many people experience the opposite: control, intimidation, manipulation, or emotional aggression continues — and sometimes intensifies. Neuroscience and psychology help explain why this happens. 1. The Brain Does Not Automatically “Improve” With Age There… Read More Why Abuse Doesn’t Stop After Separation: What Neuroscience and Psychology Really Tell Us

When Control Becomes a Way of Life: Why Some Behaviour Rarely Changes — and What It Does to Relationships

Some patterns of behaviour are not temporary habits. They are deeply embedded ways of relating to others, often formed over decades and reinforced within families where control, intimidation, or emotional pressure were seen as “normal.” In these environments, power is not expressed through cooperation or understanding, but through threats, ultimatums, guilt, or dominance. Over time,… Read More When Control Becomes a Way of Life: Why Some Behaviour Rarely Changes — and What It Does to Relationships