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The process to establish the Risk Values question set
Initially an in-depth literature research was undertaken to understand the nature of the money laundering crime. The issues involved included motivations, methods, opportunities, size of problem in terms of value and global extent. Additional research was conducted on fraud and terrorism. Fields of specialization consulted included criminology, criminal psychology, UN statistics, banking statistics, economics, sociology, social psychology, and developmental psychology. On the basis of the research it became clear that much of the data concerned the identification of methods and opportunities used by the criminal, and subsequently the measurement of the extent of the crime, but little research or understanding of the motivation of the individuals committing the crime. This was seen as a market gap. The next stage was to posit a theory that would provide a working hypothesis to test product concepts for robustness. The key to the theoretical basis for product development was determined to be in the area of "motivational psychology". A further literature review was undertaken and the fields of humanist and developmental psychology were determined to core to the development of the theory. Additionally works in moral philosophy and psychology were reviewed. Age is a factor in relation to the commission of all types of criminal activity: younger people are statistically more likely to commit crime than older people. So, as a person ages, his Risk Value may decline. This conclusion arises from developmental psychological literature, and especially Maslow, Kohlberg, and Erikson, all of whom point to very specific stages of identity formation and "moral development" where the grounds are more fertile for the orientation of mind and opportunity for behaviour (motive and opportunity) to be in harmony enough to produce a relatively sustained activity like money laundering. However, more research will need to be done into the reasons for "spontaneous" activity that occasionally erupts. The needs inherent in the stage of development most likely to produce the behaviour are much more likely to be younger males than older males. The behaviour is more likely to be sanctioned, sub-culturally, when performed by males, rather than females. By way of analogy (for simplicity and not reflected in the research and product development), consider the signs of disaffected youth - vandalism, car crime and boorish behaviour are widely recognised as signs of unmet needs in the lives of young people. The Risk Values approach considers, as a part of the overall picture of a person, the questions of unmet needs. In our terms, the "abuser" was at a particular stage of development when they began, and as they moved through their development they satisfied the need inherent in the stage and environment which had facilitated the behaviour. Maslow puts it quite simply when he observed, "a need satisfied is no longer a driver of behaviour". Hence the need for a weighted algorithm. |
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