Violence permeates every aspect of modern society. Law enforcement and other helping professionals can benefit greatly from an understanding of the psychology of criminal behavior, specifically the factors involved with the potential for violence. In the 1970's, the FBI developed a framework for understanding violent behavior. The technique developed has been referred to as psychological profiling or criminal personality profiling. It is an investigative technique that begins at the crime scene. One underlying axiom is that similar personalities live similar lifestyles and thus exhibit similar behaviors, which is also the underlying assumption in psychological theory that leads to the assignment of individuals to different categories and types. Types of information that may be obtained from a profile include the sex and probable age of the offender. The study of the victim is known as victimology and plays an essential role. Victims may be classified as low, moderate, or high risk referring to their work and lifestyle in general. Psychological profiling helps identify a particular type of offender, as well as provide insight into the types of individual experiences that precede such undesirable behaviors. This article presents and discusses three major areas that appear to be risk factors for the development of normal or pathological behaviors. These risk factors areas include psychological, social/situational, and biological. References