Why Espionage Happens: The Motivation of Betrayal

Espionage Motivation, why do counterspies do i? WHY DO SMART people do dumb things? It is a question that has confounded us since the dawn of time. In this book, Terry Thompson attempts to answer a variant of that question: Why do smart people who have been aggressively screened for undesirable past behaviors turn to a heinous crime such as espionage? He examines phenomena such as fear of failure, psychological hardiness, acquisitiveness and envy, juxtaposed against counterbalancing factors such as character, loyalty and trustworthiness. He dissects the most important spy cases of our time, such as Aldridge Ames and Bob Hanssen, and draws conclusions that can help to avoid similar cases in the future. In essence, he applies the latest psychological theories to explain the decision to commit espionage and concludes that in the age old conflict between the inherent forces of good versus evil, sometimes evil wins out. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Terry Thompson is a research psychologist for the Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) who has done extensive work on espionage motivation. He has published several articles on espionage in his 16-plus year career with CIA and his doctoral dissertation entitled, "Vulnerability Factors in Espionage Committed by the Trusted Insider" deals exhaustively with motivational factors in espionage. He was formerly a New York City police officer assigned to the South Bronx and published a novel, A Cop's Justice based loosely on his experiences in the Forty-Second precinct. Dr. Thompson also worked with dependent and neglected children at St. Michael's Home on Staten Island. He is married with three adult children and four grandchildren.