Business & Entrepreneurship

Community & Government

Games & Digital Media

Science & Technology

Level Up Your Digital Presence

Manage Online & Social Media Engagement

Negotiate & Persuade Like a Pro

Sharpen Instincts and Interpersonal Skills

Use Behavioral Science to Read Others

Use Science and Math to Solve Problems

Teaches How to Think Like an FBI Profiler

John Douglas

Former FBI Special Agent John Douglas introduces himself and his journey in becoming the first criminal profiler. He discusses how he became interested in the idea that behavior is predictable, which led to the FBI’s first criminal profiling program. You’ll get a glimpse into how these methods are valuable in everyday life.

1. Meet Your Instructor

Meet Your Instructor

In this lesson, we learn how John’s career took a turn to interviewing serial killers. We hear the backstory to the Ed Kemper case, when he decided to break FBI protocol to interview Kemper in prison. John shows you what it was like when 6'9" Kemper first entered the interview room.

2. Becoming a Mindhunter

Becoming a Mindhunter

John shares never-before-heard clips with Ed Kemper, known as the “Coed Killer,” who murdered college students, along with his mother. John’s interviews with Kemper set him on a path to understanding that all criminal minds exemplify three personality traits: manipulation, domination, and control. John challenges you to identify these traits in people you know to avoid being manipulated.

3. Learning From a Killer: The Kemper Tapes

Learning From a Killer: The Kemper Tapes

Charles Manson led a cult in the 1960s that ended with the infamous Tate–LaBianca murders. After detailing the crimes, John explains how we may know similar people in our own lives—not necessarily cult leaders, but people who share the same characteristics of a sociopathic personality.

4. Avoiding Cults and Manipulators: Charles Manson

Avoiding Cults and Manipulators: Charles Manson

John Wayne Gacy was a notorious liar—as well as a serial killer who raped, tortured, and murdered at least 33 young men and boys. In this lesson, John deep dives into Gacy’s compulsive mendacity, and lays out ways to read someone’s behavior to determine if they’re being untruthful.

5. Spotting a Liar: John Wayne Gacy

Spotting a Liar: John Wayne Gacy

David Berkowitz, a.k.a. the Son of Sam, terrorized New York in the late 1970s. When John interviewed him, he drilled down on the “why,” asking questions—a lot of them. He shares how catching serial killers comes down to a simple equation: why + how = who. With this as the foundation for asking the right questions, John provides guidance for understanding the motives of people in our own lives.

6. Understanding Motives: Son of Sam

Understanding Motives: Son of Sam

In the case of Robert Hansen, we learn that he hunted his victims for sport in the Alaskan wilderness. John uses his interviews with Hansen to present the building blocks of criminal profiling, which can be summed up in three words: behavior reflects personality.

7. Predicting Criminal Behavior: The Anchorage Killer

Predicting Criminal Behavior: The Anchorage Killer

David Carpenter, a.k.a. the Trailside Killer, was known for stalking and murdering victims on hiking trails near San Francisco. John shows us how he used empathy to analyze the offender and victims—a process that led to Carpenter’s capture. He discusses why empathy is an important tool in analyzing others.

8. Understanding the Perp and Victim: The Trailside Killer

Understanding the Perp and Victim: The Trailside Killer

John gives us an inside look at the case of convicted rapist and child murderer Darrell Gene Devier. He notes that we all have vulnerabilities—but if you can learn how to identify them in others, you can use them to predict behavior. By understanding Devier’s vulnerabilities, John was able to coax a confession out of him.

9. Identifying Vulnerabilities: Darrell Gene Devier

Identifying Vulnerabilities: Darrell Gene Devier

Ever feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up? That’s your intuition, and you should listen to it. In this lesson, John provides examples of cases in which intuition potentially saved lives—and walks us through ways we can develop our own intuition.

10. Developing Intuition

Developing Intuition

John discusses the BTK Strangler, a serial killer who sent taunting letters to the police and media. In this lesson, John explains the differences between MO and signature so we can determine whether others are interfering in our lives.

11. Determining M.O. vs. Signature: The BTK Strangler

Determining M.O. vs. Signature: The BTK Strangler

In this lesson, John explores the importance of taking calculated risks through analysis of convicted murderer Wayne Williams. He’ll challenge you to take calculated risks—even if that means making the same mistake twice. Fear of making decisions can stand in the way of doing groundbreaking work.

12. Making Calculated Decisions: The Atlanta Child Murders

Making Calculated Decisions: The Atlanta Child Murders

Some cases cut to John’s core—such as the abduction of Shari Faye Smith by Larry Gene Bell. As horrifying as this case was, it provided John an opportunity to develop concrete, lifesaving lessons for everyday life.

13. Lifesaving Lessons: Larry Gene Bell

Lifesaving Lessons: Larry Gene Bell

In this final lesson, John discusses the importance of profiling ourselves. By understanding who we are, we can better understand others. In addition, John shares how his demanding schedule affected his health, and the importance of work-life balance.

14. Doing Your Own Profile

Doing Your Own Profile

John Douglas Teaches How to Think Like an FBI Profiler

variant_1

Enjoy 7 days free

The promo may be over, but your opportunity isn't. Dive into the full experience, worry-free, with our 7-day money-back guarantee.

The offer has ended

Amount charged now

Your 7-day free trial starts today

Proof you've trained with the world's best

Leadership and Decision Making Under Pressure

Get this certificate.

Proof you’ve learned from the best.

Steven Johnson

Nichol Bradford

Conor Grennan

Don Allen Stevenson III

Allie K. Miller

Manuel Sainsily

Brand Strategist

Ana M. Gómez Sanabria

Founder

Karol Baron

Service Design & Design Strategist

Meghan Preiss

R&D Manager

Morten Drost

Chief Technical Advisor

Doug Needham

Service Manager

Olafur Simonarson

Get 50% off an annual membership of MasterClass

Congratulations, you purchased an annual standard membership of MasterClass. A confirmation has been sent to your email. You will now be able to access 200+ classes in addition to your Certificate course.

You're all set!

Pre-enroll now to save 30% on this AI Strategy course from NVIDIA.

Pre-enroll and save 30% on this AI Strategy course from NVIDIA. 

nvidia-preenrollment

From TIME ©2022 TIME USA LLC. All rights reserved. Used under license.

Times

Wirecutter

Reviewed - USA Today

Determining MO vs. Signature

Spotting a Liar

Making Calculated Decisions

Chris Voss and Noted Co-Experts

Chris Voss

Chris Hadfield

Condoleezza Rice

Stephen Hadley

Crisis Day

Teaches Purposeful Communication

George Stephanopoulos

George Stephanopoulos Teaches Purposeful Communication

Devon Rodriguez

Draw and Paint Realistic Portraits

Teaches Buying and Selling Real Estate

Robert Reffkin

Robert Reffkin Teaches Buying and Selling Real Estate

With Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer

Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer

The Power Playbook

Win Workplace Negotiations

Marques Brownlee

Make Compelling Videos That Go Viral

NINJA

Become a Streamer

Teaches Building Your Startup

Alexis Ohanian

Alexis Ohanian Teaches Building Your Startup

Teaches Space Exploration

Chris Hadfield Teaches Space Exploration

Teaches Spray-Painting & Abstract Art

Futura

Futura Teaches Spray-Painting & Abstract Art

On the Power of Personal Branding

Kris Jenner

Kris Jenner On The Power of Personal Branding

Teaches Game Design and Theory

Will Wright

Will Wright Teaches Game Design and Theory

Teaches Sales and Persuasion

Daniel Pink

Daniel Pink Teaches Sales and Persuasion

Teaches Strategic Decision-Making

Mellody Hobson

Mellody Hobson Teaches Strategic Decision-Making

With Super Agent Rich Paul

Rich Paul

Bob Myers

Draymond Green

The Dealmaker's Mindset

Teaches Building a Fashion Brand

Diane von Furstenberg

Diane von Furstenberg Teaches Building a Fashion Brand

Teaches the Art of Negotiation

Chris Voss Teaches The Art of Negotiation

Small Habits that Make a Big Impact on Your Life

James Clear

James Clear: Small Habits that Make a Big Impact on Your Life

With Vanessa Van Edwards

Vanessa Van Edwards

People Intelligence

Teaches Poker Strategy

Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey Teaches Poker Strategy

Teaches Adventure Photography

Jimmy Chin

Jimmy Chin Teaches Adventure Photography

Teaches Values-Driven Leadership

Coach K

Coach K Teaches Values-Driven Leadership

Teaches Relational Intelligence

Esther Perel

Esther Perel Teaches Relational Intelligence

Teaches Poker

Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu Teaches Poker

Teaches Mathematical Thinking

Terence Tao

Terence Tao Teaches Mathematical Thinking

Teaches Dance Music

Armin van Buuren

Armin van Buuren Teaches Dance Music

Teaches Scientific Thinking and Communication

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson Teaches Scientific Thinking and Communication

With Noted Experts

Chris Dixon

Changpeng “CZ”  Zhao

Emilie Choi

Paul Krugman

Crypto and the Blockchain

Teaches Creating Outside the Lines

Issa Rae

Issa Rae Teaches Creating Outside the Lines

Teaches Designing Your Career

Elaine Welteroth

Elaine Welteroth Teaches Designing Your Career

Navigating Change

Jay Shetty

Tell a Great Story

Michael Lewis

Teaches Science and Problem-Solving

Bill Nye

Bill Nye Teaches Science and Problem-Solving

Teaches Business Strategy and Leadership

Bob Iger

Bob Iger Teaches Business Strategy and Leadership

Teach Campaign Strategy and Messaging

David Axelrod and Karl Rove Teach Campaign Strategy and Messaging

Menu

Skills You'll Learn

Download