NCJ Number
101208
Date Published
1985
Length
17 pages
Annotation
A predisposition to violent behavior reflects a complex interplay of biodevelopmental influences. These result in varying degrees of brain dysfunction that may contribute to hyperaggressiveness and impulsivity.
Abstract
Early experiential conditions crucial for ego development and the establishment of object relations can impair identity development, frustration tolerance, and impulse control. Environmental conditions can reinforce these developmental defects through the effects of material and emotional deprivation and through social learning of aggressive behavior. The likelihood that a violent predisposition will be overtly expressed is a function of the aggressive drive, the adequacy of countercontrols, the quality of interpersonal relationships, and social adjustment. This likelihood will be enhanced in the presence of psychiatric disturbance. A differential diagnosis of violent behavior requires a consideration of three major clinical syndromes. These include states of excitement and disinhibition such as those associated with alcohol intoxication, street drug (e.g., phencyclidine) use, reactions to prescribed medication, seizure disorders, and psychogenic psychoses. Aggressive behavior also may be associated with overcontrolled and dyscontrolled character disorders such as borderline personality disorder, cyclothymic personality, minimal brain dysfunction, and emotionally unstable character disorder. Finally, paranoid personality disorder, psychosis, and affective paranoid syndromes may be associated with a tendency toward violent behavior. Identification and evaluation of violence-prone individuals requires an understanding of the relationships between developmental and psychiatric disturbance and violent behavior. 181 references.