There are 6 domains used in Tactical Analysis that provide us with 6 different ways to look at the world. When you put these domains together, they allow you to predict what human beings are going to do.
For all of the following domains, a profiler has to establish a baseline (the norm for the area) and only then will he be able to hunt for the anomaly (those deviations from the baseline.) The domains should be used to quantify and communicate what your baseline is as well as to let you pick out those anomalies that pose a threat.
Kinesics: The study of body language. Being able to identify a person’s emotional state based off their body language provides an incredible insight into that person’s mind. Are they dominant or submissive? Are they comfortable or uncomfortable? Are they interested or uninterested? All of these cues will let us predict what a person is about to do. Kinesics does not merely involve the study of facial expressions, but rather takes into consideration the entire body.
Biometric Cues: Uncontrollable bodily reactions in response to the world around us. Whether observing someone whose pupils are dilated or constricted, if they are blushing or pale, someone with a dry mouth, or someone with an increased blink rate are all cues that let us know how that person is perceiving people and objects around them.
Proxemics: The study of interpersonal relationships. By analyzing how people use the space around them, we can begin to understand their relationships with those people they are surrounded by. Being able to assess what people are attracted to (proxemic pull) and what they avoid (proxemic push) will let us get into the collective mind of the group. Proxemics can be observed up close to people during conversation or from hundreds of meters away using binoculars. Proxemics can also be used to identify the key leader of any given group.
Geographics: The study of people’s relationship with their environment. Understanding which areas of the neighborhood or the building you are in that everyone feels comfortable going to (habitual areas) and those areas that only a select group of people have access to (anchor points) can provide us with an anticipated baseline and pattern for the people who are visiting that area. Identifying how people move through their terrain (natural lines of drift) will also let us identify those who are either familiar or unfamiliar with the area.
Iconography: The displays that people use to express what they believe in. By observing the flags and colors that represent their groups, clothing choices, bumper stickers, graffiti, tattoos, and posters will give us a window into their motivations. People who are willing to make a statement through a piece of iconography are often displaying their beliefs and ideals and are often times willing to fight for that belief. Understanding what a person believes in will also assist us in predicting their future actions.
Atmospherics: The collective attitude and feel of an area. Is it positive or negative? By continually asking yourself if the behaviors, emotions, attitudes, and objects that you are observing match your baseline, you will be able to identify those individuals who don’t fit in. Drastic changes and shifts in the baseline atmospherics will let you know when a threat is imminent. Your intuition will very often perceive this threat well ahead of your conscious recognition of it.
When pieces to a few of the domains or all six come together, they are what are going to let us put a person’s behavior into the context of their environment and determine what they are going to do in the future. Not only will it let us identify their intentions, but also let us communicate our predictions and observations to others.
To see why these domains are the ones we rely on, take a look at the article explaining the function and the framework that the domains provide