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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Profile Problems
Err Travel · May 9, 2000

FBI agents have made careers of it. (Then they've gone on to make small fortunes from writing books about it.)

The New Jersey State Police have got into some serious hot water for using it to stop drivers on the Turnpike.

The FAA and the airlines walk a precarious line when applying it.

NBC has a television series about it.

Ethnic and civil rights organizations like the National Association of Arab Americans, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the American Civil Liberties Union are offended by it and fighting against it.

Yet still, we all do it. We can't help ourselves. It's built-in. Like it or not, we develop profiles to evaluate the trustworthiness of the people we meet.

I have developed a profile of people who cause a warning flag to go up - and so have you. When I travel, my profile of a dangerous person helps me avoid danger - and so does yours help you.

Yes, there are the hopelessly naïve, who have no sense of when they are in danger, and there are bigots who see danger in everybody who doesn't look or act like themselves. But between these extremes are profiles that help assure our self-preservation while we are on the road. When we meet people, we compare their looks and behaviors against our profiles shady characters. If there is a match, our inner voice tells us to shy away from these people.

Here's the profile that puts me on guard: A not-so-old man, who is more interested in me and my travel plans than in telling me about himself and his plans. Here's why:

Youth. Robbery, the most common violent crime perpetrated against travelers, is not an old geezer's pursuit.

Male. Take a look at the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives or the 15 runners-up. See any women's faces?

Interest in me. This is a particularly telling characteristic in that, for most people, their favorite conversational topic revolves around themselves.

Are all the people who fit this profile crooks? No, very few are. Jeez, the same profile describes a skilled psychologist. But by and large, this profile has served me well by alerting me to potential danger.

Of course, having a profile is only half the story. For it to be of any value to me, I have to apply it. Gavin de Becker makes a good case for our built-in radar in his apt-titled book, The Gift of Fear, and stresses the importance of taking action.

Most people who become victims have a profile. They just don't act on it. (How many times do you hear or read of a victim saying, "Ya know, officer, something about that guy just didn't seen right.")

My advice: Listen to your inner voice and be prepared to act on what you hear.

Dr. Terry Riley is a psychologist and travel security authority. His column appears on Wednesdays. He is author of the popular book Travel Can Be Murder. Visit his site at http://www.appliedpsychology.com or e-mail him at terry@ticked.com.