Gemütlose psychopathy

Gemütlose psychopathy was one of the initial seven forms of psychopathy identified by Emil Kraepelin and later psychiatrists. It was of particular interest to forensic psychiatrists and criminologists as it and Haltlose personality disorder were considered the only two psychopathies that "had high levels of criminal behavior" without external influence, and thus made up the minority of psychopaths who are "virtually doomed to commit crimes" by virtue only of their own constitution.[4]

Gemütlose psychopathy
SpecialtyPsychiatry
SymptomsAverage intelligence[1]
Risk factorsParental abuse suffered in childhood[1]
Diagnostic methodBased on reported symptoms
Differential diagnosisHaltlose personality disorder[2]
Disorganized schizophrenia[2]
PrognosisIncurable, little hope of improvement[3]

They were described by Kurt Schneider as essentially lacking honor, pity, shame, remorse or conscience.[3]

It is not a term in regular use today, but was used to describe what is today known as Anti-Social Personality Disorder.[5]

Characteristics

Homburger opined that there was no means of rehabilitating youth, as they were disrespectful and devoid of any moral sense - taking pleasure in images of vengeance and screaming madly.[1]

Dr. E.H. Hughes noted that two thirds of Huntington's disease patients had previously been diagnosed as Haltlose or Gemutlose psychopaths.[6]

Masturbation is more prevalent in Haltlose and Gemutlose psychopaths than in other disorders.[7][1] In adolescence they struggle with an overactive sex drive.[1]

Notable cases

Wolfgang Scheler, the son of philosopher Max Scheler, was sent to Schneider at his father's request in 1923 and diagnosed as both a Haltlose and Gemutlose psychopath.[8][9] After two decades of an unstable life that involved pimping among other crimes, he was sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1939; there are no further records of him.[9][8]

In 1969, it was suggested that maternal deprivation experiments on monkeys could induce a primate form of Gemütlose psychopathy.[10]

References

Mistakes cannot be fully avoided when placing children under care. even an experienced specialist often cannot distinguish between a blossoming hebephrenia and a Gemutlose or Haltlose personality disorder. Even with weeks of institutional observation, the certainty of our diagnostic aids can remain doubtful...under certain circumstances a doctor will advise medical care even at the risk of learning the patient cannot improve as a result of mental illness and will end up in a madhouse.

— Kurt Schneider[2]
  1. Homburger, August. "Vorlesungen über Psychopathologie des Kindesalters". Berlin 1926. Pgs 324-332
  2. Schneider, Kurt. Bericht fiber die dritte Tagung fiber Psychopathenffirsorge, "Die Verwahrlosung vom Standpunkt des Psychiaters", Heidelberg 17.-19. September 1924
  3. Schneider, Kurt. "klinischen Psychopathologie", 1967
  4. Wetzell, Richard F. "Inventing the Criminal: A History of German Criminology", page 151-152, 276
  5. Pruter, Christian, "Dissoziale Persönlichkeitsstörung – mad or bad?", "So beschreibt Weitbrecht in seinem Lehrbuch der Psychiatrie im Jahre 1973 die damals dominierende Haltung unter den deutschen Psychiatern im Hinblick auf die Fragestellung, ob es sich bei der – damals noch gemütlose Psychopathie genannten – dissozialen Persönlichkeitsstörung um eine psychiatrische Erkrankung oder um eine abnorme Variation der gesunden Spielbreite der Persönlichkeiten handelt."
  6. Luxenburger, Dr. Hans. "Die Schizophrenie und ihr Erbkreis", pp 791, 1051, 1092, 1113, 1121, 1143, 1257 of the "Handbuch der Erbbiologie des Menschen", 1939
  7. Paul Schröder and Hans Heinze: "Kindliche Charaktere und ihre Abartigkeiten", (1931) Pp 39+79+196
  8. Krahl, A. Schifferdecker, M. "Max Scheler und Kurt Schneider", pg 5
  9. Cutting, John. History of Psychiatry, "Max Scheler's influence on Kurt Schneider", 2016. Pg 5
  10. Kallwass, Wolfgang. "Der Psychopath, Kriminologische und strafrechtliche Probleme (mit einer vergleichenden Untersuchung des Entwurfs 1962 und des Alternativ-Entwurfs)", 1969. p. 9
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