Olivia is considerably more empathetic than Merritt, and asks herself, “Must I always suspect the absolute worst of a person?” (p. 240). Merritt obviously does. Do you think this trait is required to be an effective investigator, or is it something that develops with experience?
I think if you are a detective you have to be somewhat objective in your assessments of others. Olivia’s empathy was fine if she was looking for a friend but when looking for a murderer maybe not so much. Yet I also think Olivia could be more empathetic if she had clearly ruled out the person as a murderer.
I think that if you spend years seeing the kinds of things detectives see, it would naturally start to change your assumptions about human nature. Constantly discovering that people are capable of terrible things would almost certainly harden a person over time. I think Olivia’s empathy helps balance Merritt’s tendency to expect the worst in people, while Merritt’s darker view of human nature teaches Olivia to be a little less naive. In the end, I think the best investigators probably need both qualities
I don’t think it is necessary to expect the worst to be an effective investigator, but assuming the best in them is definitely a disadvantage. You can give them the benefit of the doubt while still keeping an open mind, and not dismissing evidence that seems contrary to how you feel about the person.
I think experience definitely helps a detective become more astute at assessing a suspect’s words and demeanor. Although, Olivia’s empathy did help her find Scott when Pia approached her. I felt like Merritt gave Olivia very good advice when she cautioned her not to jump to decisions about a person’s character.
I think this comes down to just lack of experience. Merritt has probably seen a lot of people who seem innocent, but were not, or she had made assumptions in the past that were incorrect. Thus, when the person turns out to be innocent/good, she’s plesantly surprised. While Olivia is of the adage, that ‘innocent until proven guilty’, and is more positive overall about people than Merritt was.
I agree that you have to keep an open mind to be a successful detective; as soon as you let your own bias or empathy in, you will lose your objectivity. Merritt reminds me of Meryle streep in Prada. She is a very firm boss and does not want to create a friendship, but become a mentor.
I would think that with experience you become better at reading a person, but for some people, (me for one) they will never be able to always assume the absolute worst of people. And, no I don’t believe that it’s necessary to believe the worst about people to be an effective investigator. I think an effective investigator absolutely needs to hold on to the ability to see the good in people. If the investigator becomes so entrenched that they are no longer able to see the good in people, then what could their motivation of solving the crime and giving the family a sense of justice be based upon?
People tend to be empathetic by nature. I think it takes skill to listen and suspect others.
As a detective Merritt has to wonder about everyone.
Olivia is more empathetic than Merritt. However, Merritt has a few years on Olivia. The more experience, the better investigator one becomes. Let’s see what the years bring to both of them. I truly feel Olivia has a lot to learn from Merritt. I am hoping to watch her grow, if this debut becomes a series or even better a television series.
I think it’s more important to remain unbiased and open-minded so you don’t get emotional about a piece of evidence or a suspect, and miss something important. And I do think that the ability to do this develops with time as we mature and gain life experiences.
I agree completely. My cousin is a social worker who deals with child abuse, and he has seen some terrible things. Seeing those things can change your assumptions about human nature. On the other hand, Olivia’s empathy opens some doors for her and helps her in her own life. As you said, both empathy and a darker view of human nature may be needed to be a good investigator. Olivia and Merritt balance each other nicely.
I definitely feel this trait is something that has to be developed. So many people are just like Olivia, always looking for the best in people. But I’m sure over time she will learn it is sometimes those we least expect to have done the terrible act or crime. You always just have to be on the watch for anyone when you’re investigating, whether they seem suspicious or not.
I think if you are in any kind of law enforcement type job (police, detective, etc.) you are automatically geared toward suspecting the worst of people just from experience.
I think it is one of the biggest problems we have today. People judge by appearance. The assume if a person looks a certain way they are bad. Pretty woman get waited on first. A young black person standing on a street is suspected, I feel Olivia has a lot to learn from Merrit about not judging a person by their appearance