Spy Case from PERSEREC

You work as a mental health professional in an organization that is examining methods to avoid potential intelligence compromises.

You have been asked to evaluate an existing spy case in order to achieve a greater working knowledge of the motivation of espionage in an effort to avoid future compromises in the organization.

In a formal report, conduct an evaluation and case conceptualization. Identify the risk factors, vulnerabilities, and threats; identify the potential mental disorders, symptoms, and prognoses; and explain how this type of indirect assessment relates to the ethics code as prescribed by APA.

Tasks:

Create an 8- to 10-page report responding to the following:

Select a spy case from the Defense Personnel and Security Research Center (PERSEREC) case page. You cannot select a case that has already been examined or discussed in this course.

Conduct a case study evaluation and case conceptualization of your selected spy case as described below.

For the case study evaluation:

Summarize the case facts. Include not only the case details as outlined by evidence and a description of the act but also the characteristics of the perpetrator, such as demography, socioeconomic status, work history, and relation with the intelligence community (IC) organization where the espionage occurred. Articulate what, where, when, how, and who of the act of espionage in the case you have chosen.

Identify the risk factors and vulnerabilities in the spy and the threats of the case. Risk factors and vulnerabilities are intrinsic to the perpetrator and include factors that made the perpetrator more susceptible to committing the act of espionage.

Threats are extrinsic to the perpetrator and bring dangers to the asset. In these cases, the asset is national security information.

For the case conceptualization:

Describe the cognitive processes, behavior, and emotional makeup of the spy, such as how he or she thinks, acts, or feels, using a major theoretical orientation on personality psychology (such as cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic behavioral).

Identify any potential mental disorders or symptoms that may exist and include them in your prognosis.

Explain how this type of indirect assessment meets (or does not meet) the ethics code as prescribed by APA. This section should be supported by the existing body of psychology literature.

The report should rely upon at least five scholarly resources from the professional literature. The literature may include the University online library resources; relevant textbooks; peer-reviewed journal articles; and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu, .org, or .gov).