Silvano Arieti

Psychopathic personality: Some views on its psychopathology and psychodynamics

Summary Psychopathic personalities have been divided into symptomatic and idiopathic. Symptomatic psychopathies are closely related to or parts of psychoneurotic syndromes, character neuroses and postpsychotic states. One of the mechanisms which is frequently found in the symptomatic type of psychopathic personality is the one described by Szurek and Johnson, which consists of the unconscious sanction of psychopathic behavior on the part of the parents. Idiopathic psychopathic personalities have been divided into the simple, complex, dyssocial and paranoiac types. A characteristic formal mental mechanism, called the short-circuited mechanism, is found to be at the basis of psychopathic behavior. Early psychodynamic factors, involving specific situations in the parent-child relationship, are seen as enhancing the establishment of the short-circuited mechanism. In psychopathic personalities, other than the simple type, long-circuited mechanisms are formed which release or support the short-circuited mechanism.