Catathymic crisis

The concept of catathymic crisis is an old idea in psychiatry, dating back to the 20th century.[1] The theory posits that in a catathymic crisis the perpetrator of a violent crime is overwhelmed by emotion to commit acts of violence, without any reasoned element.[2][3]

The term was introduced in 1912 by the Swiss–German psychiatrist Hans W. Maier in his paper "Über katathyme Wahnbildung und Paranoia" ("On catathymic delusional formation and paranoia").[2][4] The German–American psychiatrist Frederic Wertham used the concept in 1937 in his theory for the motivation of serial killers.[1][5]

Louis Schlesinger has published extensively on the concept, and has distinguished the concept of catathymic crisis from that of compulsive murder.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Garrison, Arthur H. (1996-03-01). "The catathymic crisis: An explanation of the serial killer". Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. 11 (1): 5–12. doi:10.1007/BF02803681. ISSN 1936-6469.
  2. ^ a b Schlesinger, Louis B (1996-12-01). "The Catathymic crisis, 1912-present: A review and clinical study". Aggression and Violent Behavior. 1 (4): 307–316. doi:10.1016/S1359-1789(96)00003-1. ISSN 1359-1789.
  3. ^ Yang, Suzanne; Mulvey, Edward P. (May 2012). "Violence risk: re-defining variables from the first-person perspective". Aggression and Violent Behavior. 17 (3): 198–207. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2012.02.001. ISSN 1359-1789. PMC 3717117. PMID 23878518.
  4. ^ Maier, Hans W. (1912-12-01). "Über katathyme wahnbildung und paranoia". Zeitschrift für die gesamte Neurologie und Psychiatrie (in German). 13 (1): 555–610. doi:10.1007/BF02865628. ISSN 0303-4194.
  5. ^ Wertham, Frederic (1937-04-01). "The Catathymic Crisis: A Clinical Entity". Archives of Neurology & Psychiatry. 37 (4). doi:10.1001/archneurp. ISSN 0096-6754. Archived from the original on 2024-09-15.
  6. ^ Schlesinger, Louis B. (2007-03-01). "Sexual homicide: Differentiating catathymic and compulsive murders". Aggression and Violent Behavior. 12 (2): 242–256. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2006.09.007. ISSN 1359-1789.


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