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A Clinical Consideration of Psychopathic Personalities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2018

Oskar Diethelm*
Affiliation:
New York

Extract

The concept of psychopathic personality in this presentation stresses a disorder of personality development. In these patients one finds a poorly organized personality with contradictory strivings, lacking consistency and unity in experiencing and acting. Disturbances of organization may be noticed in any phase of personality development but for various reasons they are most noticeable in adolescence and adult life. In this concept of personality organization and its disorders, psychologic, physiologic, and social aspects are considered but none of them is made the basic issue. The organization of the personality may be too loose or too rigid. In the too rigid organization, we find unbending persons with, or without, projection. In these persons certain personality features may be exaggerated and adaptation to the demands of life might be difficult. This discussion will be limited to the loosely organized personality with its features of immaturity, dependency and inadequacy, impulsiveness, aggressiveness, and inappropriate control of drives and desires.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1960 

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References

1 Diethelm, Oskar, “Non-organization and disorganization of the personality during psychosis”, Arch. Neur. Psychiat., 1933, 29, 12891304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2 Leighton, Alexander H., Introduction to Social Psychiatry, 1960. Springfield, Illinois: Thomas (in press).Google Scholar
3 Idem , The Stirling County Study of Psychiatric Disorder and Sociocultural Environment. 1960. Vols. 2 and 3. New York: Basic Books. (Accepted for publication.) Google Scholar
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