ABSTRACT
At first glance, there may seem to be a natural conflict between the fields of law and psychology. Often, a psychologist views an attorney as an enemy. The popular image is of a cut-throat lawyer berating a psychologist witness in an attempt to discredit his or her work, his or her methods, and, ultimately, his or her ability as a clinician or researcher. Although intimidating, the adversarial environment of the courtroom is not the most common arena where law and psychology meet. More frequently, psychologists assist legal professionals by assessing competency, treating mentally ill offenders, or advising on public policies and new laws. Interactions between lawyers and psychologists are becoming more frequent because of the ever-increasing complexity of the fields. Also, a growing interest regarding the way to influence legal decision making has created the need for psychologists who can relate to legal professionals, or “speak their language” (Melton, 1987). For this reason it is important to understand the underlying theory and methods that define each field.
