NCJ Number
57479
Date Published
1971
Length
46 pages
Annotation
THE PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY PSYCHOPATHS ARE DISCUSSED, IN ADDITION TO RESEARCH FINDINGS ON THE AUTONOMIC AND CORTICAL CORRELATES OF PSYCHOPATHIC BEHAVIOR.
Abstract
ALTHOUGH THE TERM 'PSYCHOPATH' HAS BEEN USED IN A VARIETY OF CONTEXTS, THERE IS A GROWING TENDENCY TO RESTRICT ITS USE TO A CLINICAL AND BEHAVIORAL SYNDROME CONSISTENT WITH CLECKLEY'S CHECKLIST OF THE PSYCHOPATHIC PERSONALITY: (1) SUPERFICIAL CHARM AND GOOD INTELLIGENCE; (2) ABSENCE OF DELUSIONS, IRRATIONAL THINKING, NERVOUSNESS, OR OTHER NEUROTIC MANIFESTATIONS; (3) UNRELIABILITY, UNTRUTHFULNESS, INSINCERITY, AND LACK OF REMORSE OR SHAME; (4) ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR WITHOUT APPARENT COMPUNCTION; (5) POOR JUDGMENT AND FAILURE TO LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE; (6) PATHOLOGIC EGOCENTRICITY, INCAPACITY FOR LOVE, AND GENERAL POVERTY IN MAJOR AFFECTIVE REACTIONS; (7) SPECIFIC LOSS OF INSIGHT; (8) UNRESPONSIVENESS IN GENERAL INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS; (9) FANTASTIC AND UNINVITING BEHAVIOR WITH ALCOHOL; (10) IMPERSONAL, TRIVIAL, AND POORLY INTEGRATED SEX LIFE; AND (11) FAILURE TO FOLLOW ANY LIFE PLAN. THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE USUALLY REFERRED TO AS PRIMARY OR CLASSICAL PSYCHOPATHS, WHILE SECONDARY OR NEUROTIC PSYCHOPATHS ARE SEEN AS RESPONDING TO A SYMPTOMATIC EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE. THE MAJORITY OF PHYSIOLOGICALLY ORIENTED STUDIES INVOLVE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAMS (EEG'S), AND IN SPITE OF THEIR LIMITATIONS, THESE STUDIES HAVE PRODUCED CONSISTENT RESULTS. THE MAJORITY HAVE FOUND THAT BETWEEN 30 AND 60 PERCENT OF DIAGNOSED PSYCHOPATHS EXHIBIT SOME FORM OF EEG ABNORMALITY, ESPECIALLY SLOW-WAVE OR POSITIVE-SPIKES. HOWEVER, MANY OF THE PSYCHOPATH'S CHARACTERISTICS--LACK OF ANXIETY, GUILT, REMORSE, EMPATHY, DEEP EMOTIONAL COMMITMENT, AND FEAR OF PUNISHMENT--PRESUMABLY HAVE AUTONOMIC CORRELATES. STUDIES INDICATE THAT PSYCHOPATHS HAVE A LOWER LEVEL OF RESTING SKIN CONDUCTANCE THAN DO NORMAL SUBJECTS, AND THEY TEND TO HAVE A LOW LEVEL OF SPONTANEOUS ELECTRODERMAL ACTIVITY. RESEARCH HAS LED CLINICIANS TO CONCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: (1) ALTHOUGH PSYCHOPATHS ARE NOT DEFICIENT IN THE INTELLECTUAL PROCESS AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES, THEY PERFORM POORLY ON SERIAL LEARNING TASKS AND EXHIBIT LESS RETROACTIVE INHIBITION THAN DO NORMAL SUBJECTS; (2) PSYCHOPATHIC CRIMINALS DO NOT CONDITION AS READILY AS NEUROTIC CRIMINALS; (3) WHILE THEY DO WELL IN A PROBABILITY LEARNING EXPERIMENT WHEN THE CORRECT RESPONSE ON ANY GIVEN TRIALS WAS RANDOMLY DETERMINED OR DEPENDENT UPON THE PRECEDING TRIAL, PSYCHOPATHS DO POORLY WHEN THE CORRECT RESPONSE IS DEPENDENT ON WHAT HAPPENED TWO TRIALS EARLY; AND (4) PSYCHOPATHS EXHIBIT POOR DIFFERENTIAL ELECTRODERMAL CONDITIONING AND A RELATIVE INABILITY TO AVOID PUNISHMENT. GRAPHIC DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (KBL)