PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L B Schlesinger

Publications and source records attributed to L B Schlesinger.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

The contract murderer: patterns, characteristics, and dynamics.

A case of an independent professional contract murderer, who killed over 100 people, is reported. After eluding law enforcement for 30 years, the subject killed several associates who he believed could implicate him in various crimes. These homicides eventually led to his arrest, since the victims were individuals who could be linked to him. This hit man had a background of poverty and childhood abuse but, as an adult, had pursued a middle-class lifestyle and kept his family totally separate from his criminal career. In addition, he had a number of characteristics that helped him carry out his crimes in a highly planned, methodical, and organized manner: he had adept social judgment; personality traits of orderliness, control, and paranoid vigilance; useful defense mechanisms of rationalization and reframing; and an exceptional ability to encapsulate emotions. This case is discussed within the context of contract murder, a crime that occurs relatively frequently and is probably increasing; yet it often goes undetected, the arrest rate is low, and the offender is rarely studied.

Child↗
PubMed2001

Is serial homicide really increasing?

Close examination of the available crime data reveals little scientific support for the widely held belief that serial homicide is frequent and increasing. The author argues that the dramatic changes in homicide clearance rates, incidence of murders with unknown motives, and victim gender data point to a likely increase, not in serial murder, but in contract murder. This type of killing appears to be having a significant impact on society; yet there has been a complete absence of forensic psychiatric study of this crime, a circumstance that needs to change.

Female↗
PubMed2000

Familicide, depression and catathymic process.

A case of familicide by a 36-year-old male is reported. After years of stable marriage, exemplary military service, and steady employment, the subject developed his first episode of depression triggered, in part, by his inability to solve a problem associated with completion of a home improvement project. As the depression intensified, and dormant conflicts regarding his competency and self-esteem were rekindled, he experienced pronounced feelings of failure. After an extended period of agonizing about his problem, the idea suddenly emerged that his only recourse was to kill his family and himself, in order to spare everyone the humiliation of his perceived inadequacy. Such a fixed idea, along with a mounting pressure to act, is characteristic of the (chronic) catathymic process, in which a subject, without apparent motive, resorts to extreme violence directed at someone close to him. A detailed discussion of this case within the framework of catathymic process adds to our knowledge of family mass murder and refines the profile of potentially familicidal men.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Sexual burglaries and sexual homicide: clinical, forensic, and investigative considerations.

Burglary, the third most common crime after larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft, is rarely the focus of forensic psychiatric study. While most burglaries are motivated simply by material gain, there is a subgroup of burglaries fueled by sexual dynamics. The authors differentiate two types of sexual burglaries: 1) fetish burglaries with overt sexual dynamics; and 2) voyeuristic burglaries, in which the sexual element is often covert and far more subtle. Many forensic practitioners have informally noted the relationship of burglaries to sexual homicide, but this relationship has not otherwise been studied in any detail. In this article, the incidence of (sexual) burglaries by 52 sexual murderers whom the authors evaluated, as well as the incidence in cases reported by others, is reported. Implications of these findings for forensic assessments and profiling of unidentified offenders are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Adolescent sexual matricide following repetitive mother-son incest.

A case of a 16-year-old male who committed a sexual matricide following years of mother-son incest is reported. After murdering his mother by strangulation, which itself was sexually arousing, the youngster engaged in both vaginal and anal necrophilia. The homicide occurred while the perpetrator was in a dissociative state and experiencing what has been referred to as a catathymic crisis: the sudden release of emotionally charged psychic conflict and tension, resulting in extreme violence within an interpersonal bond. Discussion of maternal image and maternal sexual conduct in relationship to the psychosexual development of adolescent males offers insight into the motivation in this extremely rare case.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

The criminal fantasy technique: a comparison of sex offenders and substance abusers.

Presented a newly developed projective technique that utilizes criminal fantasy in an attempt to help in the prediction of crime and to gain psychodynamic insights into such offenders. Protocols of 37 compulsive sex offenders were compared to a group of 13 substances abusers who served as clinical controls. Statistical significance regarding the difference in number of judged pathological stories for the two groups was reached for all cards that were designed to elicit sexual fantasy. Cards depicting crimes of a non-sexual nature were not seen differently by the two groups, which was an expected finding. Raw data that highlighted the richness of the elicited projective material also were presented.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Achromatic rorschach perceptions: some implications for the diagnosis of depression.

The number of Rorschach achromatic perceptions of 10 male and 10 female hospitalized uni-polar depressed patients were compared with a control group of 10 male and 10 female hospitalized patients who held diagnoses other than depression or mania. The depressed patients gave significantly more achromatic perceptions than the non-depressed group. There was also a significant effect for sex and in interaction. The long held belief, based on clinical observation, that achromatic perceptions distinguish depressed from non-depressed individuals, was supported by this study. However, the intricacies of the results indicate that direct application in clinical work may be premature without further clarifying research.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Physiognomic perception: empirical and theoretical perspectives.

A review of the research and theory on physiognomic perception was set forth. There have been several types of tasks and methods used to tap this domain; thus, a thorough discussion of this topic was presented. Early as well as recent studies indicative very high degrees of adult consensus in the making of physiognomic attributions. However, with individuals under (approximately) 10 years of age, consensus is not readily apparent--rather, a distinct developmental course has been suggested. Studies dealing with individual differences and several major theories of etiology were also examined in the light of current findings.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Rorschach human movement responses of acting-out and withdrawn adolescents.

Rorschach human movement responses of 20 male and 20 female acting-out and withdrawn adolescents were scored according to flexor/extensor/blocked categories. Comparison of the two groups showed: (a) All subjects produced more extensor M than the other two M categories, (b) Acting-out adolescents produced more extensor M than the withdrawn subjects, (c) The two groups did not differ in number of flexor or blocked M. Extensor M seems to tap a propensity for acting-out, while flexor and blocked M do not differentiate the two groups of children.

Acting Out↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A review of the EEG literature on Ganser's syndrome.

Ganser's syndrome has been classified as a histrionic disorder, a psychotic illness, a dissociative disorder, a factitious disorder, and an organic illness. The possibility of an underlying organic component to Ganser's syndrome is often implicated. A case which includes CT scan and EEG tests is presented and the EEG data in patients with Ganser's syndrome are reviewed. The majority of EEG data was not suggestive of any specific organic illness.

Adult↗