PSYCHOPATHIC PERSONALITY AS PATHOLOGICAL STIMULATION-SEEKING.

Theories about the nature and etiology of psychopathic personality1 have had a wide range and, as might be expected, have reflected the pendulum swings from the organic to the psychodynamic and back again that have characterized theorizing about psychopathological conditions in general. The early theories emphasized “moral irnbecility”(24) and constitutional inferiority( 14). With the popularization of depth psychology came a variety of suggestions as to the psychodynamics of the disorder( 1, 3, 12). A more recent return to the organic viewpoint has been bolstered mainly by EEC studies purporting to show a high percentage of abnormalities among psychopaths(5, 13). Despite continuing controversy about many facets of psychopathic personality, certain behavioral features have now been described as central by a number of investigators(2, 3, 19, 21). The psychopath is almost universally characterized as highly impulsive, relatively refractory to the effects of experience in modifying his socially troublesome behavior, and lacking in the ability to delay gratification. His penchant for creating excitement for the moment without regard for later consequences seems almost unlimited. He is unable to tolerate routine and boredom. While he may engage in antisocial, even vicious, behavior his outbursts frequently appear to be motivated by little more than a need for thrills and excitement. His deficits in learning, in terms of both avoidance and approach responses, are clinically obvious and have recently been documented by experimental study( 11, 18,25).