| Description |
1 online resource (317 pages). |
| Series |
Nervous and mental disease monograph series ; no. 59 |
|
Nervous and mental disease monograph series ; no. 59.
|
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. |
| Summary |
"Whatever significance one may attach to the social or mass causes of criminality, there can hardly be any doubt that the picture will never be complete without a particular study of the individual criminal as a determined factor in the situation. Psychiatrists have long recognized this, but the descriptive approach, heretofore used in the main, has accomplished little more than just to draw attention to certain types and reactions, without in any way revealing the underlying motivations. On the other, hand, the psychoanalytic approach has as yet failed to contribute significantly to the solution of the problem because it gratuitously went on the assumption that the same mechanisms operated in criminals as in neurotics. Elsewhere I have discussed in detail the fallacy of such an assumption. Recognized neuroses form a relatively inconspicuous portion of the reaction among criminals, especially the habitual type, which for the most part belong to what is commonly spoken of as the psychopathic group. While I would regard even these psychopathies as being but forms of neuroses, they are of quite a different order. For our purpose it is sufficient to point out here that in the present state of our knowledge the great majority of the professional and habitual criminals must be approached by a method different from that used for neurotics. Before we are prepared to uncover the deeper mechanisms underlying criminality, it is well to learn first the general psychic framework within which the criminal operates. Recently I had the opportunity to publish a series of case studies on criminals, the material consisting in the main of detailed life histories as obtained from the criminals themselves. These form the protocols of the research, but with little attempt at discussion or interpretation of the material. While this protocol material may serve well as a reference source in criminality, it seemed desirable on many grounds to also present an interpretation of the material obtained. This is essentially the purpose of the present study, the material presented here paralleling the protocol cases. Each study consists essentially of two parts: one attempts an interpretation of the psychogenetics of the case, the other of the diagnosis. A few of these cases have as a special chapter a discussion on crime, which takes as its starting point some problem relating to the case proper. While the present volume is based on the material of the original protocols, it can be read quite independently of the latter"--Foreword. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved). |
| Subject |
Criminal psychology.
|
|
Psychology, Pathological.
|
|
Criminal psychology. (OCoLC)fst00883467
|
|
Psychology, Pathological. (OCoLC)fst01081609
|
|
Criminal Psychology.
|
|
Psychopathology.
|
|
