Whether interviewing a potential new employee, a caregiver for an aging loved one, a babysitter for your children, or learning more about a new friend, the interview process is generally relaxed. In contrast, an interrogation process tends to be more aggressive, whether in a criminal investigation, in the intelligence community, or interrogating a teenager who strolls in three hours after curfew.
Interviewing
An interview is, at the very basic level, a conversation. Just as in friendly conversation we seek to learn about each other in a non-threatening, non-judgmental way, and interview is typically designed to allow the interviewer to learn about the interviewee in a non-threatening way. That is not always the case, in some job interviews, for example, the interviewer may have formed a judgment before ever beginning. This judgment may not be personal, but instead a judgment based on what the company wants in a new employee and this will affect the way the interviewer conducts their job interview.
Interrogation
An interrogation is a more aggressive interview, in the sense that the same ultimate goal is present as with an interview, but the means of reaching that goal take on a slightly different feel. An interrogation could be something as simple as parents questioning a teenager who strolls in several hours past his/her curfew, or as serious as police investigators looking for answers from a prime suspect.
Similarities
Both an interview and an interrogation are one-way streets, in most cases, where the interviewer is the one “asking the questions” and the interviewee is the one expected to answer them. The concept of an interrogation spurs a more aggressive mental-image, however, and often a more desperate situation or circumstances.
Interview or interrogation, it really makes no difference when considering the ultimate goal: information (preferably true information). Both seek the information from the interviewee or interrogation subject. The reasons for finding that information may vary. For example, a job interview seeks to find truth in the sense that the interviewee is a good fit for the organization, while a police interrogation seeks to find information in the sense that there is a crime to be solved and whatever truths the interrogation subject can offer may prove helpful.
Roles of Psychologists
Psychologists conduct interviews on a regular basis. Clinical psychologists will use unstructured interviews as a means of building rapport, learning about new patients, and establishing the best nest steps for treatment planning; for example, determining if psychological assessments necessary and if so, which ones. Police psychologists will conduct interviews similar to this when working with officers or law enforcement agents for pre-employment screening, fitness-for-duty evaluations, and in evaluating critical incident situations as part of a possible fitness-for-duty evaluation.
With regard to interrogations, however, due to APA (American Psychological Association) ethical guidelines, a Psychologist is basically forbidden to conduct an interrogation and should excuse themselves from any cases in which they are asked to consult on an interrogation where unethical practices are being employed, such as physical abuse to the interrogation subject. Psychologists can, however, consult on interrogations as long as it does not interfere with the psychologist’s ability to adhere to APA ethical guidelines.
Sasha Maggio - Sasha holds her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Hawaii (minor in Japanese) and M.A. in Forensic Psychology from Argosy ...
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