Psychology Articles
SCARS Articles about Scam/Fraud/Cybercrime Psychology, Victimology, Criminology, and Sociology
Articles relation to the psychology of scams, the exploitation by criminals, and their function and impact in scam victims.
Featured Articles
Compersion: Psychological Feeling of Joy One Experiences from Witnessing Another Person’s Happiness – 2024
Compersion: Psychological Feeling of Joy One Experiences from Witnessing Another Person’s Happiness Principal Category: Scam Victim Recovery Psychology Author: • Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. - Anthropologist, Scientist, Polymath, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. Compersion, the feeling of joy derived from witnessing Read More ...
Selective Attention and Perception Filtering in Scam Victims – 2024
Selective Attention and Perception Filtering in Scam Victims Principal Category: Scam Victim Psychology Authors: • Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Licensed Psychologist, Specialty in Crime Victim Trauma Therapy, Neuropsychologist, Certified Deception Professional, Psychology Advisory Panel & Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. • Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. Read More ...
Self-Authoring Self-Help Therapy for Traumatized Scam Victims – 2024
Self-Authoring Self-Therapy for Traumatized Scam Victims Principal Category: Scam Victim Recovery Author: • Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. - Anthropologist, Scientist, Polymath, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. Self-authoring may be a transformative tool for scam victims, helping them process trauma, understand the Read More ...
SCARS Institute Statement About Professional Care for Scam Victims – 2024
SCARS Institute Statement About Professional Care for Scam Victims Principal Category: Scam Victim Recovery Psychology Authors: • Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Licensed Psychologist, Specialty in Crime Victim Trauma Therapy, Neuropsychologist, Certified Deception Professional, Psychology Advisory Panel & Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. • Tim Read More ...
Neurology of Scams: Scam Victims’ Main Brain Regions Affected By Scams & Trauma – 2024
Scam Victims' Main Brain Regions Affected By Scams & Trauma Principal Category: Neurology of Scams Author: • Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. - Anthropologist, Scientist, Polymath, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. Scams and trauma primarily affect several key parts of the brain, Read More ...
The Cause of Scam Victims’ Trauma: Losing the Belief – the Fantasy – the Delusions – 2024
The Cause of Scam Victims' Trauma: Losing the Belief - the Fantasy - the Delusions Principal Category: Psychological Trauma Authors: • Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Licensed Psychologist, Specialty in Crime Victim Trauma Therapy, Neuropsychologist, Certified Deception Professional, Psychology Advisory Panel & Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Read More ...
The Onset of Psychological Trauma – 2024
The Onset of Psychological Trauma Principal Category: Psychological Trauma Authors: • Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Licensed Psychologist, Specialty in Crime Victim Trauma Therapy, Neuropsychologist, Certified Deception Professional, Psychology Advisory Panel & Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. • Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. - Anthropologist, Scientist, Polymath, Read More ...
Understanding the Polyvagal Theory and How it Applies to Scam Victims – 2024
Understanding Polyvagal Theory and How it Applies to Scam Victims Principal Category: Psychological Trauma Authors: • Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Licensed Psychologist, Specialty in Crime Victim Trauma Therapy, Neuropsychologist, Certified Deception Professional, Psychology Advisory Panel & Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. • Tim McGuinness, Read More ...
Psychology Articles
Psychological Displacement and Scam Victims – 2025
Psychological Displacement and Scam Victims Psychological Displacement and Scam Victim Recovery: Understanding the Hidden Struggles Principal Category: Psychological Defense Mechanisms Authors: • Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Licensed Psychologist with Specialty in Crime Victim Trauma Therapy, Neuropsychologist, Certified Deception Professional, Psychology Advisory Panel & Director of the Society of Citizens Read More ...
Tonic Immobility – A Response to Trauma or Stress and Crime Victims – 2025
Tonic Immobility - A Response to Trauma or Stress and Crime Victims Understanding the Involuntary Freeze Response Principal Category: Trauma Response Authors: • Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Licensed Psychologist, Specialty in Crime Victim Trauma Therapy, Neuropsychologist, Certified Deception Professional, Psychology Advisory Panel & Director of the Society of Citizens Read More ...
The Spotlight Effect – Cognitive Bias – 2025
The Spotlight Effect - Cognitive Bias Principal Category: Cognitive Biases Authors: • Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. – Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. Abstract The spotlight effect is a cognitive bias that causes individuals to overestimate the extent to which others notice, Read More ...
Trauma Response – The Human ‘Prey Animal Response System’ and Scam Victims – 2025
The 'Prey Animal Response System' and Scam Victims - a Trauma Response The Human Mind's 'Prey Animal Response System' in Traumatized Scam Victims - Before, During, and Long After the Scam Principal Category: Psychology of Scams and Scam Victim Recovery Authors: • Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Licensed Psychologist, Specialty Read More ...
Psychological Reactive Abuse in Relationship Scams – 2025
Psychological Reactive Abuse in Relationship Scams Principal Category: Psychology of Scams - Manipulation and Control Authors: • Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Licensed Psychologist, Specialty in Crime Victim Trauma Therapy, Neuropsychologist, Certified Deception Professional, Psychology Advisory Panel & Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. • Tim Read More ...
Psychiatric Medication Warning – 2025
Psychiatric Medication Warning - 2025 Do not accept any psychiatric or mental health (anxiety/depression/etc.) medication from a doctor who is not a psychiatrist. Warning: The Dangers of Taking Psychiatric Medications Without a Prescription from a Psychiatrist Psychiatric medications are powerful tools in managing mental health conditions, but they should Read More ...
Opponent Processing in Scam Victims – Before and During the Scam – 2025
Opponent Processing in Scam Victims - Before and During the Scam Opponent Processing - a Cognitive Function that Can Increase Scam Victim Vulnerability Principal Category: Psychology/Neurology Author: • Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. - Anthropologist, Scientist, Polymath, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. Read More ...
Deep Psychological Depression and the Effects it has on Scam Victim Recovery – 2025
Deep Psychological Depression and the Effects it has on Scam Victim Recovery The Paralyzing Effects of Deep Psychological Depression on Scam Victims and How It Halts Recovery Principal Category: Scam Victim Psychological Disorders Authors: • Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Licensed Psychologist, Specialty in Crime Victim Trauma Therapy, Neuropsychologist, Certified Read More ...
