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PubMedDate not supplied

The neurobiology of evil: psychiatric perspectives on perpetrators.

Events such as the Nuremberg Trials in Germany, or the Truth and Reconciliation Commission proceedings in South Africa, raise questions about the psychology of perpetrators of crimes against humanity. While such violations occur within particular socio-political contexts, given the significant advances in clinical neuroscience in the past several decades, is it possible to outline a 'psychobiology of evil'? In this paper a preliminary approach towards this area of study is made on the basis of a review of the biological psychiatry literature. In particular, this literature is used to draw a distinction between the psychobiology of 'banal' evil and that of 'sadistic' evil. Whereas banal evil may involve a dissociation of cortico-striatal processing from limbic input (reason without passion), sadistic evil may involve a dissociation of limbic processing from frontal controls (passion without reason). A biological perspective on evil must, however, avoid several kinds of reductionism. A non-reductionistic psychobiological perspective may provide new insights into a spectrum of deviant behaviour ranging from everyday peccadilloes to pathological evil.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗
PubMed1984

An examination of the psychological aspects of bite marks.

The intent of this paper is to present some psychological threads which appear to be operative for the perpetrator of bite marks. In the catalogue of multiple motivations, there appears to be a current theme of power, control, potency, and the attempt to have a psychological symbolization of the perpetrator's omniscient capacity for absorbing life essences. In an examination of these highly complex needs, the modern perpetrator appears to act out consistently with cultural biases coupled with immediate psychological needs which have pressed for expression. Due to a pattern of psychologically expressed ritualism, the perpetrator will often inadvertently leave important psychological clues at the crime scene. The attack style, mode of death, characteristics of the victim, etc.--these components reveal the information on the type of psychological needs that the perpetrator is trying to satisfy. In the cases of bite marks associated with violent crime, it becomes crucial to an "investigator" what type of personality characteristics are welded together to form this kind of need complex. After reviewing cases reported in the literature and after conducting psychological interviews with perpetrators, three major groups of perpetrators seem to be apparent. The first group is motivated out of an anger track, the second group is motivated out of sadistic biting, and the third is out of the more traditional "cannibal complex" motif.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

A sadistic homicide.

Sadistic homicides are probably more common than would be expected from reading the literature, where only a few cases are mentioned. Most forensic pathologists and forensic psychiatrists have had experience with one or more cases, but they do not usually share their experience with their colleagues. This article describes in detail a typical mutilation pattern. Also, the clinical description, including the psychiatric evaluation, of the perpetrator is presented. Not infrequently, the perversion develops gradually as in the present case, and the perpetrator is known to the police for minor sex crimes before the final sadistic homicide. This observation must be kept in mind if society hopes to stop the sadistic perpetrator prior to his final crime.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Female responsiveness to erotic films and the "ideal" erotic film from a feminine perspective.

Subjects were 20 volunteers randomly selected from all female undergraduate students attending a local university, who were 21 years of age or older, and living off campus. The stimuli consisted of seven films, of approximately 5 minutes duration each, which depicted various types of human sexual behavior. Themes included "romantic" heterosexual behavior, primarily genital heterosexual behavior, a mild, and an explicit form of group-sex behavior, a mild and explicit form of heterosexual sadomasochistic behavior, and male homosexuality. Subjects rated the degree of sexual arousal experienced for each film on a 50-point Likert scale. The order of presentation of the films for each subject was randomized, and all subjects participated individually with only a female experimenter present. Following the rating period, subjects completed the Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test (9). Finally, a structured interview was conducted to probe specific likes and dislikes with respect to the content of the films viewed. Results indicated that rank order ratings of the films, from most to least sexually stimulating, was: heterosexual, romantic; group-sex mild (two males and one female); heterosexual-genital; group-sex explicit (three males and three females); sadomasochism (mild); sadomasochism-explicit (forcing and brutal); and male homosexuality. One conclusion that the data led to was that females preferred and were significantly more sexually stimulated by films in which a male related to a female (even if the male was treating the female cruelly) than they were by homosexual stimuli involving two males together. Correlational data between the rating responses and the Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test yielded much information including significant negative correlations between ratings of both group-sex films and rejection of sexual myths. Also, significant positive correlations were found between rated degree of sexual stimulation for the heterosexual and the group-sex films and the consideration of pre- and extramarital relations as acceptable or even desirable.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed2003

A contribution towards an analytic theory of violence.

This paper considers some of the clinical and theoretical problems contingent upon the imprecision and lack of clarity with which the word and concept 'violence' is used. A definition of violence is proposed, which separates the concept of violence from the related concept of aggression and sees the former as a particular form of the latter. This definition also proposes that violence must always have a psychological component aspect. It is contended that clarity is important clinically so that analysts can distinguish psychologically destructive from psychologically creative elements in their patients, in their own psychological functioning and in the countertransference. The phenomenon of violence is considered in the light of Fordham's model of development, in particular that violence may be viewed as a consequence of a failure to integrate normal, aggressive aspects of the personality. Violence is seen as uncontained, split-off aggression, subjected to psychological projection. It is proposed that a particular quality of the experience that is being projected is an uncontained sense of violation. The notion of 'mindless violence' is considered.

Affect↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Paradox as symptom in the borderline patient's struggle for self-differentiation.

TOPIC: Paradox as symptom in patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). PURPOSE: To conceptualize the nature of difficulties arising in psychotherapy with patients diagnosed with BPD. SOURCES: Review of the literature and clinical data from the author's work. CONCLUSIONS: The borderline dilemma is inherently paradoxical and, in some ways, reflects the human condition. Psychoanalytic concepts can further our understanding of the therapeutic difficulties encountered in the struggle to make sense of life's inherent dualities. The borderline patient is acutely sensitive to these dualities, which the therapist must tolerate and understand. Often, a negative therapeutic reaction may impede progress.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Are rapists differentially aroused by coercive sex in phallometric assessments?

In this chapter we examine whether rapists are sexually aroused by coercive, nonconsensual sex. This question is theoretically important because it speaks to a potential sexual motivation underlying rape. It is also clinically important in that it may reveal an important assessment and treatment target. We first revisit and update quantitative reviews of studies that examined the phallometric responses of rapists and other men. We then present new data on the discriminative and diagnostic validity of a phallometric test for rapists. Finally, we discuss methodological and conceptual issues in phallometric assessment and the nature of rapists' sexual interests.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗
PubMed1989

Anxiety, supervision and a space for thinking: some narcissistic perils for clinical psychologists in learning psychotherapy.

The process of learning psychotherapy involves narcissistic dangers--there may be injuries to self-esteem and self-image, especially when working with certain kinds of disturbed and hostile patients. Some patients will unconsciously recreate, in the transference, representations of early damaging experiences with parents, but now reversed with the therapist as the victim. It is vital for the trainee to be helped to understand these powerful interactional pressures. There are aspects of the professional culture and ideals of clinical psychologists (and possibly of some psychiatrists and social workers as well) which may make them particularly vulnerable in work with the hostile patient. It is argued that the function of supervision is not to teach a technique directly, but to create a 'space for thinking'--a kind of thinking which is more akin to maternal reverie, as described by Bion, than problem solving.

Anxiety↗