Detecting Malingering and Deception: Forensic Distortion Analysis (FDA).

Security professionals are confronted daily by incidents that involve fakery, distortion, and lying. Such mendacity can result in poor hires, lost productivity, bogus claims, and scores of other problems for the employer. This book aims to summarize current information on distortion detection, present guidelines for detecting distortion, and stimulate further research in the field. Security executives, consultants, investigators, and trainers will find this book useful in a review of their own programs to detect and predict malingering and deception in the workplace.

The book is divided into three major parts: background, theory, and methods in distortion analysis; deception analysis in civil contexts; and deception analysis in criminal contexts. Each section is extremely well organized, containing current, significant case references and tables and outlines to illustrate points.

The authors take an interdisciplinary and multisourced approach to their work. That approach involves an analysis of biological, psychological, and social questions. The authors are also careful to distinguish between involuntary distortion and intentional deception, which is important not only to identify guilty parties but also to account for inconsistencies in testimony by victims and witnesses.

To arrive at conclusions regarding deception, the authors present testing tools that remove much of the subjectivity that plagues investigations. For example, in determining faked pain and loss of sensation, some methods include examining anatomical inconsistencies, drug response discrepancies, and presence of psychometric signs.

One noteworthy discussion in the book addresses deception by investigators themselves. The authors point out the corrosive effect that officially sanctioned deceptive practices have on individuals, organizations, and the community. The discussion would make a good starting point for managers wishing to review their companies' ethical standards.

As a reference book, this work contains extensive bibliographical resources, practical appendices, a detailed glossary, and an inclusive index. The appendices contain helpful checklists and examples of psychologists' case reports. Covering a wide territory in succinct fashion, this book is a valuable resource for security professionals throughout the industry.

Reviewer: George J. Okaty, CPP, is a security and loss prevention consultant in San Antonio, Texas. He is also a loss prevention manager for a Stein Mart retail outlet. He is a member of ASIS.