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Neurotic pride and homicide

Neurotic pride and homicide THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS 35:1-16 (1975) Andrew K. Ruotolo This is a report on three confessed and convicted male murderers and one uncon- fessed but convicted male murderer. They were all seen in pretrial examinations for periods of time ranging between nine and fifteen hours. Two of them committed homicides in the course of felonies, the other two committed suddenly conceived "crimes of passion." Although, in the opinion of psychiatrists, three of them were obviously psychotic at the time of the homicides and one was on the brink of psychosis, none was adjudged iegaliy insane by a jury of his peers. However, none received the death penalty, though it was legally permissible at the time. The act of homicide and the circumstances and emotional responses surrounding it reveal the character structure of the murderer far more than it is generally revealed in other crimes. The murderer's essential "location," his secret, inner-most ring of psychic defenses, that corner of himself he has backed himself into and from which he can emerge only in sudden homicidal rage, can usually be exposed in a careful exploration of the causes, fantasies, and sequela of his crime. That characterological exposure, following the crime, http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The American Journal of Psychoanalysis Springer Journals

Neurotic pride and homicide

The American Journal of Psychoanalysis , Volume 35 (1): 16 – Mar 1, 1975

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Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
1975 APS Publications, Inc.
ISSN
0002-9548
eISSN
1573-6741
DOI
10.1007/BF01248420
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS 35:1-16 (1975) Andrew K. Ruotolo This is a report on three confessed and convicted male murderers and one uncon- fessed but convicted male murderer. They were all seen in pretrial examinations for periods of time ranging between nine and fifteen hours. Two of them committed homicides in the course of felonies, the other two committed suddenly conceived "crimes of passion." Although, in the opinion of psychiatrists, three of them were obviously psychotic at the time of the homicides and one was on the brink of psychosis, none was adjudged iegaliy insane by a jury of his peers. However, none received the death penalty, though it was legally permissible at the time. The act of homicide and the circumstances and emotional responses surrounding it reveal the character structure of the murderer far more than it is generally revealed in other crimes. The murderer's essential "location," his secret, inner-most ring of psychic defenses, that corner of himself he has backed himself into and from which he can emerge only in sudden homicidal rage, can usually be exposed in a careful exploration of the causes, fantasies, and sequela of his crime. That characterological exposure, following the crime,

Journal

The American Journal of PsychoanalysisSpringer Journals

Published: Mar 1, 1975

Keywords: Clinical Psychology; Psychotherapy; Psychoanalysis

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