Psychoanalysis, Violence and Rage-Type Murder: Murdering Minds

by Duncan Cartwright

Overview

What turns an apparently 'normal' individual into a killer?
Many people who commit "rage type" murders have no history of violence. Using psychoanalytic theory and a number of case studies, this book isolates key psychological factors that appear to help explain why such acts of extreme violence occur.
Starting from a psychoanalytic standpoint, Psychoanalysis, Violence and Rage-Type Murder argues for a pluralistic approach to understanding aggression, and claims that the origins of aggression have no single source or cause. Drawing broadly on psychological, criminological and psychoanalytic research the author outlines the clinical features of the act and explores the possible role that psychopathology and personality might play in the build up to murder. These observations raise a number of questions about the so-called 'normality' of the individual alongside the capacity to commit murder, and how we might understand the stability of such offenders. Psychoanalysis, Violence and Rage-Type Murder will be of great interest to psychotherapists, forensic psychotherapists, psychoanalysts, psychologists, criminologists and health care workers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781583912027
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/10/2002
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Cartwright, Duncan

Table of Contents

Peter Fonagy, Foreword. Introduction. Part I: Aggression and Violence in Psychoanalysis. Aggression, Rage and Violence. Seven Intrapsychic Dimensions of Violence. Part II: Investigating Rage-Type Murder. The Act. Explosive Violence, Mental Illness and Personality. Formulations of Rage-Type Murder: Past and Recent Contributions. Part III: Intrapsychic Dimensions of Rage-Type Murder. The Narcissistic Exoskeleton: The Defensive Organization of the Rage-Type Murder. Representational Capacity Internal Objects and Situational Factors. Trauma Phantasy/Fantasy and Sexuality. The Act Revisited. Some Thoughts on Assessment Treatment and Prevention. Bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Steven T Herron, MD (CPI/Assurance Health and Wellness)
Description: This book explores violence and "rage-type murder" using a psychoanalytical approach not generally applied to other types of material on this subject. The author uses case examples combined with psychoanalytic theory in an attempt to identify reasons for this type of behavior.
Purpose: The author describes the purpose of the book as an attempt to understand "the nature of rage-type violence within the context of the offender's personality." This is done to provide further information for future discussion about "management (and) intervention" for these offenders.
Audience: Written primarily for those in the mental health profession, this book may also be helpful for those well versed in psychoanalytic theory and practicing in other areas such as corrections, law enforcement, or the legal system.
Features: The book is divided into three parts. The first attempts to lay a foundation by discussing the various theories behind violence, including those of Freud, Kohut, Kernberg and the like. In addition, definitions the author uses for the terms violence and rage are described. The second part turns to the investigation of rage-type murder and offers formulations based on actual cases. The third part explores specific psychological factors involved in these cases, as well as the importance of certain environmental factors such as trauma and sexuality.
Assessment: As the importance of understanding these offenders increases, examining the reasons behind the crimes becomes paramount in attempts to prevent similar acts in the future. While many other researches focus on dynamic or static factors to be used in risk assessment, the author approaches the topic from a different direction — that of exploring specific offender personality characteristics in those who commit these crimes. At times the technical aspects of this approach are difficult to grasp, even for those experienced in psychology or psychiatry. However, the author's decision to illustrate his points with actual case examples proves to be vital for the overall comprehension and cohesion of these complex concepts. For this reason, the second and third parts of this book seem to flow more easily than the weighty first section. In addition, any conclusions drawn from this work should be interpreted with caution, as the sample used for this study was limited in size and scope. Nonetheless, this book offers a detailed and interesting look at a particularly disturbing subset of the criminal population.

Doody's Review Service

3 Stars from Doody