Online Knowledge Test

AETAP is pleased to offer you a free test to assess your general knowledge in the field of threat management. This comprehensive test, which takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, covers all 8 essential areas of threat assessment: Core Principles, Domestic Violence, Stalking & Harassment, Threatening Communication, Extremism & Terrorism, Workplace Violence & Insider Threats, Mass Homicide, The Role of Mental Disorder, and New/Emerging Themes.

Each question randomly covers one of these areas and presents multiple possible answers, from which you’ll select the correct one(s). Upon completion, you’ll receive a detailed evaluation of your knowledge across all 8 areas, identifying specific strengths and potential areas for improvement. Additionally, the test provides tailored reading suggestions in areas where answers may have been less accurate, offering guidance for deepening your understanding.
This test is particularly useful for leaders responsible for the ongoing training and professional development of a Threat Assessment and Management (TAM) team. By having team members complete the test individually, you can pinpoint areas where additional training or resources may benefit the team.

Please note: This test was initially developed in English, and some nuances in translation may not perfectly align in all languages. We appreciate your understanding and apologize to non-English-speaking users for any inconvenience.

Let’s get started and explore your expertise!

Threat assessment experts in the corporate world should mainly focus on preventing mass homicide attacks and the protection of senior managers

Yes

None

Why can destabilising events, such as a recent loss or feelings of despair, increase the risk of violent behaviour?

The individual may feel that they have nothing left to lose, prompting them to act violently

The individual is primarily seeking to escape their current situation

The individual may feel overwhelmed and uncertain about their next steps, which can lead to aggression

Destabilising events do not have a significant impact on the likelihood of violent behaviour

First and third options are correct

First and fourth options are correct

None

Physical violence risk is higher for victims that had an intimate relationship with the stalker

True

Not True

Sometimes, but most of the time not because the stalkers tend to feel the emotions related to the good times they had together in the past. This helps prevent violence

None

Aggressive behaviour can be reliably classified into the following distinct dimensions:

(1) planned, controlled, unemotional acts of aggression (instrumental violence);

(2) emotionally charged, behaviourally dysregulated aggression (affective violence)

Instrumental and affective violence should not be viewed as distinct subtypes. It does not help us understand violence better.

(1) planned, controlled, unemotional acts of aggression (instrumental violence);

(2) emotionally charged, behaviourally dysregulated aggression (affective violence);

(3) delusional violence

(1) planned, controlled, unemotional acts of aggression (instrumental violence);

(2) emotionally charged, behaviourally dysregulated aggression (affective violence);

(3) delusional violence;

(4) psychopathic violence

None

What are “warning behaviours” ?

The behaviours threat assessors have to be aware of when working on disturbing cases. These behaviours are indicators that they are at risk for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Behaviours that have been referred to by others as “signalling the attack”, “high-risk indicators” or signs of concern

Behaviours that indicate that a potential offender could suddenly ‘lose control’ over themselves and commit serious violence

All of the above options are correct

None

Is leakage (revealing information) one of the warning signs amongst terrorists?

Yes

None

What is meant by the term “injustice collector”?

Individuals who see injustices in many things, which can lead to excessive over-reaction

Individuals who suffer depressive symptoms and feel that they are not treated well by others

Individuals who are careless and tend to commit impulsive acts, some of which could be violent

A resentful person feeling anger and despair

None

Terrorist acts are always planned and committed by groups.

Yes

Terrorist acts can be planned and committed by groups and also by lone offenders

None

There is a notable overlap between Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and specific forms of offending, such as stalking, which can often occur alongside IPV or as part of controlling behaviour in relationships.

No, intimate partner violence IPV is a complex phenomenon and a topic on its own. It should be studied separately from other topics under the threat assessment umbrella such as stalking and workplace violence

Yes, correct

We don’t know and can’t say. It is too early to state this. There is still a lot of research needed before we can say anything about this overlap

None

Which option is correct?

Mass homicides are always characterised by an ideology

Mass homicides are only committed by males

Mass homicides are mostly committed by men

Mass homicides are mostly committed by people with sev ere mental disorder

None

Threat assessment and - management is a matter that corporate security should deal with

Yes, this should be their expertise. This is not a topic that HR or any other expert field in the company should be involved with

Threat assessment and - management needs a multi-disciplinary approach and teamwork. Security, HR and other departments such as the legal department should be involved

No, one might feel this is a security matter, as it involves violence, but in fact it is a topic for HR

None

Mental illness and mass homicides – which option is correct?

Mental illness is present in all mass homicide cases

Psychotic disorders are sometimes found among perpetrators of mass homicides

Neuro-developmental conditions, such as autism, are universally characteristic of mass homicide perpetrators.

None

Which option is correct?

The results of a threat assessment are valid for a maximum of one year

Risk can increase or decrease as time progresses

If the person of concern shows new warning signs you must re-assess the risk

The first and third options are correct

The second and third options are correct

None

What is the philosophy of threat management about?

Violence is the perpetrator's solution to a crisis

Threats and dangerousness are not the same concepts

Restrictive measures are crucial to prevent serious, targeted violence

The first and second options

The first and third options

None

Which answer is correct?

Warning behaviours are about high risk patterns of behaviour and communication

Risk factors are always related to the psychology of the offender / person of concern

Contextual factors (eg. cultural background) and situational factors (eg. the victim’s response to the threat) should be taken into consideration when assessing a threat posed by an individual

The first and third options are correct

None

Important evidence-based risk factors for (ex-) partner violence are:

Non-fatal strangulation and a pattern of coercive control

Threats to kill

Presence of a sense of owning/possessing the partner and a recent or threatened separation

All options are correct

The first and third options are correct

None

Which option is correct?

Anonymous threatening communications will hardly ever lead to physical violence. People want to remain anonymous only because they want to frighten the victim

Sometimes an individual making an inappropriate physical approach to a public figure will directly communicate intentions to the target before attempting the approach

Researchers indicate that anonymous threatening communications will become less common in the coming years. This is due to new developments in social media and that it is increasingly difficult to remain anonymous

Because the offender is unknown, it is recommended that the assessor assigned to an anonymous threatening communication case should not attempt case determine the overall credibility of the threat

None

‘Narcissistic injury’ can increase the violence risk in a stalking case

We very rarely see narcissistic injury in cases. This is more of a ‘Hollywood’ creation when they produce movies of stalking cases

Yes, this is true

No, narcissistic personality traits are often confused with psychopathy and psychopathic stalkers act mainly violently towards their victims

None

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) presents certain unique challenges for threat management because

When police respond to a domestic disturbance, tensions between the aggressor and the target are already high and violence may already be evident. This can make it challenging to manage because police officers are forced into reactive, high-risk situations with limited information.

In many European countries the primary aggressor will be taken into custody, charged and released on bail in relatively short order to await trial in the community, with little to prevent the aggressor from taking violent action.

In many cases the couple will, despite the conflict and violence, remain invested in maintaining the relationship over the longer term

The first, second and third options are correct

The first and second options are correct but not the third. Decades ago the intimate partner (victim) would remain invested in maintaining the relationship, e.g. because of financial dependency or concerns about child care, but the modern partner (victim) is much more independent and self-confident to step out of the relationship

None

How dangerous are “threats”?

This depends on the motivation of the threatener

Threats actually never result in violence. The main concern with threats are that they cause fear and disruption amongst victims

Expression of a threat is nothing more than a reflection of the internal world of a person and therefore can not be considered a risk factor

A person expressing a threat minimises violence risk because expression of the threat reduces aggressive emotions and thoughts that the person experiences

None

What can planning behaviour be?

Buying a weapon

Visiting the future crime scene

Hitting an individual after being insulted

Shooting the targeted individual

The first and second options are correct

The second and fourth options are correct

None

What is “stalking”?

Constantly following the person with whom you previously had a romantic relationship

Repeated threats against a person

Unwanted and repeated behaviour that is often very stressful for the victim

All of the above

None

Which option is correct?

A threat assessment is always constructed on a foundation of information, and this groundwork must be strong and reliable in order for the assessment to be considered professional and useful

Only law enforcement officers with a lot of investigative experience are great interviewers in a threat assessment context

A threat assessment based on poor information has limited value and can lead to dangerous escalations

Threat assessment professionals always need to be alert to their own perceptions of people, and on guard when they are convinced that the person is giving a complete and honest statement.

All of the above are correct

First and fourth options are correct

First, third and fourth options are correct

None

An important question the assessor of an anonymous threat communication has to address is:

How the victim assesses the anonymous threat communication, both in terms of their level of concern and their view on the author's identity. When the victim received the communication and when it was reported by the victim

When the victim received the communication and when it was reported by the victim

If the victim has ever been a victim of violence in the past

What the motivation of the author is

All of the above options are correct

All of the above options are correct, except for the third option

None

Which option is correct regarding mass homicides and suicide-by-cop situations?

Mass homicides are often intentional and typically involve premeditation

In some incidents, perpetrators attempt to provoke law enforcement into using lethal force against them

The firearms used in these suicide-by-cop situations are usually limited to handguns or rifles

The first and second options are correct

The first, second and third options are correct

None

Anonymous threatening communications are sometimes produced by the person who claims to be the victim

Yes, and in those cases of self- victimisation the offender often has a desperate need for sympathy and/or attention or the failure to successfully navigate a stressful situation in a healthy, prosocial manner

No, that would be blaming the victim, which is an assumption that is not supported by research or by operational experience of practitioners

Yes, almost all of these offenders suffer from severe personality disorder, mainly borderline personality disorder

Yes, and we see this phenomenon only amongst female offenders

The first, third and fourth options are correct

The first and third options are correct

None

If the threat assessment professional identifies ‘fixation’ in a stalking case and receives reliable information that the person of concern has recently told a friend that he has been fantasising about killing the victim and then himself…

These are two warning behaviours and the assessor should take immediate action to prevent further escalation

Alarm bells should go off, but it is not urgent and the assessor should not overestimate signs of fixation and leakage

The assessor should take this into account when making the assessment but no concrete action has to be taken. The information is too vague

Fixation is a warning behaviour that has to be taken very seriously, but fantasising about committing violence is not a risk factor. Research indicates that most males experience violent fantasies at some point in their lifetime and only few commit violence

None

What is a threat?

An impolite remark

A statement expressing an intention to cause harm

A verbal or written communication to kill somebody else

Behaviour such as stalking, harassment, intimidation or behaviour caused by mental disorder

None

When it comes to collecting information from human sources, the threat assessment professional is facing a whole spectrum of potential pitfalls and challenges. Which of the below statements is/are correct?

Witnesses might have motivations to not share the truth, or may leave out essential information for their own benefit or feeling of safety.

Interviewees might not provide a truthful, full account because they are restricted by the limitations of human memory

Interviewers tend to pay insufficient attention to their own biases

Interviewers tend to not pay enough attention to preparing an interview

All of the above statements are correct

All of the above statements are correct, except for the third option

All of the above statements are correct, except for the second option

None

What is a warning sign?

The gut feeling a threat assessment specialist sometimes experiences

A warning sign is a behaviour or communication shown on the way to targeted violence

None

What is the intimacy effect?

The violence that is a result of being in close proximity of the aggressive individual

This refers to victims of domestic violence that tend to remain in the relationship because they experience feelings of dependency to the offender

Romantic feelings that victims of violence develop toward the person who wants to help them, for example a threat management professional or a therapist

This term refers to the fact that the closer the interpersonal relationship between the threatener and the victim, the higher the likelihood of threats being carried out

None

Which answer is correct?

Dynamic risk factors are factors like gender, criminal history and date of birth

Important sources of information for threat assessment are the communications and behaviours of the person of concern

If a case reveals more than two risk factors, the threat assessment specialist must immediately notify the police because theoretically this indicates a high risk for physical harm being planned.

The violence risk of an offender automatically increases when the personal consequences for a victim would be dramatic

None

What is the most essential trait of psychopathic personality?

Symptoms of hyperactivity and difficulties with sustained attention

A profound lack of empathy combined with a strong sense of self-importance

An intense sensitivity to criticism or feelings of inadequacy

Delusional beliefs

None

Which of the below options is an accurate description of terrorism?

Impulsive acts against a specific group

There is no ideology needed for terrorism acts

They are acts of targeted violence which are intended and purposeful

The terrorist act is dedicated to a specific group

None

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) can be defined as any actual, attempted, or threatened physical harm against a current or former intimate partner. The violence is a result of being in close proximity to the aggressive individual. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates

That nearly one third of ever- partnered women have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner in their lifetime

That nearly a quarter of ever- partnered women have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner in their lifetime

That around 15% of ever- partnered women have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner in their lifetime

That more than half of ever- partnered women have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner in their lifetime

None

Why is it important to understand the different stalking profiles described in literature?

It helps to understand different forms of threatening behaviour

Some stalkers suffer psychiatric problems, which increases violence risk significantly and therefore the profile helps preventing future violence

It helps to understand the specific risk factors that apply to the different profiles and how to manage the stalking behaviour and the victim better.

It helps if the therapist focuses solely on the stalker's external behaviours and develop strategies to modify them

None

Indicators and mass homicides – which option is correct?

It is difficult to prevent these acts because all perpetrators try to be as inconspicuous as possible

There is no pathway to violence as these perpetrators are mentally ill and the development to an act is very fast

Perpetrators show signs in behaviour and communication before they commit a Mass Homicide

Suicidal ideation can be a warning sign before committing a Mass Homicide

The first and second options are correct

The third and fourth options are correct

None

Research indicates that individuals with psychopathy are more likely to engage in instrumental violence compared to non-psychopathic criminals. What does this suggest about their behaviour?

They often act impulsively without planning their actions

Their violent actions are typically premeditated and goal-oriented.

They are less likely to commit violence than non-psychopathic individuals

Their violence is primarily driven by deep emotional responses

They demonstrate a strong adherence to societal rules and norms, that is why they are also referred to as sociopaths.

None

What is the silo effect in workplace violence risk assessment?

It refers to different departments or teams working in isolation, without sharing critical information that could help assess or mitigate threats

It occurs when all departments in an organization collaborate efficiently to assess and manage workplace violence risks.

It describes the phenomenon where employees avoid reporting threats due to fear of retaliation or punishment

It happens when fragmented communication and lack of collaboration between departments lead to missed warning signs and delayed responses to potential threats

The third and fourth options are correct

The first and fourth options are correct

None

Warning signs that may indicate radicalization are:

Change in external appearance, wearing special symbols

Increased black-and-white thinking and/or representation of a friend-enemy
world view

People try to continue to live in a common way

The expression of hate against a specific person

The first and third options are correct

The first and second options are correct

The second and third options are correct

None

The U.S. Secret Service study of public figure assassins indicated that

a large portion of the attackers displayed signs of serious depression or despair

a large portion of the attackers uttered suicide threats

a large portion of the attackers warned their victims directly during the months prior to the attack

Options ‘a’ and ‘b’ are correct

None

What is the “pathway to violence”?

Any behaviour that involves grievance, the development of violent ideas (ideation), research, planning, preparing, or carrying out an attack

A well planned and step-by-step plan that all violent offenders go through when they want to violently attack a target

This concept only applies to public figure assassination and the planning and preparation that these attackers usually go through

The second and third options are correct

None

Which factors can play a role in radicalisation processes?

People feel threatened and a loss of control before radicalisation

There is a feeling that the freedom of a group is threatened or restricted

Radicalisation processes are preceded by a mental illness

People become radicalised if they themselves have a radical family

The first and second options are correct

None

Which of the following statements regarding mental disorders in threat assessment cases is correct?

Mental disorders do not play a significant role in threat assessment cases; it is more common for individuals to suffer from less serious psychological issues, such as low self-confidence, feelings of insecurity, or fantasies of violence

Most individuals with a mental disorder will not exhibit threatening behavior

In almost all cases that threat assessment professionals handle, mental disorders are involved

There is evidence suggesting that mental disorders are more prevalent among victims than among offenders

None

What does the term 'psychological delusion' mean?

A psychological delusion is a fixed false belief about reality, maintained despite clear evidence that it is untrue

The person who suffers from delusions is fixated on committing suicide

The person who suffers from delusions is fixated on committing targeted violence

Delusions is another term for hallucinations

Delusion is another word for multiple personality disorder

None

The delusional individual often experiences fear and their violence is often motivated by self-defence

No, they are exclusively motivated by extreme feelings of anger, and these emotions are disconnected with reality

True, people suffering from delusional disorders and schizophrenia with paranoid perceptions are associated with a higher risk of violence because paranoid individuals often feel that they are in danger

Not true, delusional individuals do not commit violence, they only cause fear amongst others because of their irrational behaviour

True, but only when the delusions are a consequence of schizophrenia

None

Research conducted in Europe shows the following about he impact of domestic violence on workers and workplaces

Over half of respondents who had experienced domestic violence reported that it negatively affected their work performance.

Among those who had ever experienced domestic violence, between 10 and 20% reported encountering it at (or close to) their workplace.

Nearly half of victims of domestic violence received harassing phone calls or text messages while at work.

The first and second options are correct

The first, second and third options are correct

None

Radicalisation and social media – which option is correct?

Social media platforms are used to present a radical ideology

Radicalisation almost always takes place in real life with other people

The internet provides instructions on how to commit a terrorist act

The internet plays no role in radicalisation processes

The first and second options are correct

The first and third options are correct

None

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