Introduction to this issue: international perspectives on psychopathic disorders

The importance of characterological disturbances, that contribute towards individual patterns of law breaking behavior, to legal systems in all countries should be self-evident. Contributors to this international perspective issue represent Canada, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States, and data from several additional European countries were included in Hare's article. This issue addresses emotional deficiency, molecular genetics, construct and predictive validity of the PCL-R, psychosocial predictors and treatment. Critical analyses of current models for civil commitment and criminal responsibility vis-à-vis psychopathic disorders contribute towards informed dialectic on these compelling public policy issues. We hope that readers will find that these articles collectively advance our understanding of the nature of these disorders, currently available therapeutic interventions, and today's critical social issues.     

Impulsive versus premeditated aggression: implications for mens rea decisions

Science can provide more information about the nature of aggressive acts, and therefore the mens rea of criminal offenses, than is commonly assumed. For example, progress has been made in classifying aggression as impulsive or premeditated within the context of the role of conscious experience in controlling behavior. This review of the status of the scientific ability to distinguish conscious from unconscious acts and more specifically impulsive from premeditated aggressive acts is organized around four themes: (i) How is aggression defined and measured in general? (ii) How does the distinction between impulsive and premeditated aggression relate to the legal concept of mens rea? (iii) How do various scientific disciplines contribute to the mind/body discourse? (iv) What risk factors are associated with impulsive and premeditated aggression respectively? The authors conclude that the most promising approach to researching the nature of behavioral intention and motivation is to apply a discipline neutral model that integrates the data from multiple disciplines, collectively designated the cognitive neurosciences.     

How Discrimination Impacts Sociopolitical Behavior: A Multidimensional Perspective

The conventional wisdom regarding the impact of discrimination on political behavior is that the perception of prejudiced treatment motivates individuals to take political action. This study challenges this common conception by demonstrating that the source of discrimination can play a significant role in whether perceived or experienced injustice leads to activism or withdrawal from sociopolitical life. Drawing from political science and social psychology literature, this study provides a new perspective on the potential effects of discrimination on a relatively new marginalized group in the United States. Specifically, an important distinction is drawn between political (systematic) and societal (interpersonal) discrimination in analyzing the sociopolitical behavior of American Muslims in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The results will hopefully encourage scholars to take a deeper look at the nexus between discrimination and democratic engagement, which is an important, complex, multidimensional, and understudied topic.     

Patient's choice to suicide v. treater's duty to prevent suicide: Some changing clinical dilemmas

The evolution of civil commitment procedures is seen as reflecting changing social and ethical values regarding individual liberty versus protection of self and others. The dilemma of dealing with the modern suicidal patient places the psychiatrist at the interface of conflicting societal expectations. The legal aspects of civil commitment are seen as not necessarily compatible with the best clinical course for the suicidal patient. The relationship of the process of the civil commitment to the process of treatment is briefly explored.