WITH REGARD TO MOTIVATION, HOSTAGE TAKERS HAVE BEEN DIVIDED INTO THREE BASIC CATEGORIES: POLITICALLY MOTIVATED OFFENDERS, RUNAWAYS, AND ECONOMICALLY MOTIVATED OFFENDERS. THE MAJORITY OF POLITICAL OFFENDERS ARE MENTALLY NORMAL BUT HAVE BEEN INDOCTRINATED AT A VERY EARLY AGE. OFTEN THEIR BEHAVIOR BECOMES UNDERSTANDABLE IF THE HISTORY OF ECONOMIC DEPRIVATION OR POLITICAL SUPPRESSION THAT LEAD TO THE OFFENSE ARE ANALYZED. RUNAWAYS INCLUDE BOTH INMATES WHO ATTEMPT TO BLACKMAIL THEIR WAY OUT OF PRISON BY TAKING PRISON PERSONNEL HOSTAGE AND RASH OFFENDERS WHO TRY TO RUN AWAY FROM THEIR OWN WEAKNESS AND INCOMPETENCE. PASSIVE BY NATURE, MEMBERS OF THE LATTER GROUP TEND TO HAVE A HISTORY OF FAILURE AND RELISH THE POSITION OF POWER THAT THE ROLE OF KIDNAPPER OFFERS THEM (E.G., THE YOUNG MAN WHO HIJACKS AN AIRPLANE WITHOUT MAKING CONCRETE DEMANDS). SURPRISINGLY, ECONOMICALLY MOTIVATED OFFENDERS ARE OFTEN TALENTED PEOPLE WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN RICH AND RESPECTED HAD THEY NOT TURNED TO CRIME. SUCH PEOPLE USUALLY HAVE A DEEP-ROOTED HOSTILITY AGAINST AUTHORITY REPRESENTED BY THE FATHER AND HIS SURROGATES (E.G., THE POLICE). ANOTHER APPROACH CATEGORIZES KIDNAPPERS AS EITHER PROFESSIONAL CRIMINALS OR PSYCHOPATHS. PROFESSIONAL CRIMINALS--UNLESS THEY REALLY BELONG TO ONE OF THE EARLIER CATEGORIES--ONLY GET INVOLVED IN KIDNAPPINGS FOR LARGE PROFIT OR IN A DESPERATE SITUATION. FULLY AWARE OF THEIR PRECARIOUS SITUATION, THEY ARE VERY OPEN TO NEGOTIATIONS. THE TYPE OF PSYCHOPATH MOST FREQUENTLY INVOLVED IN HOSTAGE TAKING IS THE PARANOID WHO FEELS PERSECUTED BY IMAGINED ENEMIES AND BARRICADES HIMSELF IN HIS HOUSE WITH A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY. DETERMINING WHAT TYPE OF OFFENDER IS INVOLVED IN A PARTICULAR EMERGENCY HELPS THE POLICE SELECT THE PROPER STRATEGY. FOR RELATED DOCUMENT, SEE NCJRS-56332 --IN FRENCH. (SAJ)