Measurable Effects of Group Psychotherapy with Defective Delinquents

It is generally accepted that any appreciable lack of intelligence precludes the possibility of successful psychological treatment along verbal lines. It is also widely believed that individuals with a lifelong character disorder, commonly described as “psychopathic”, whatever their degree of intelligence, are relatively inaccessible or unresponsive to group or individual psychotherapy. It follows that in individuals where intellectual defect is coupled with psychopathic character, the difficulties of psychotherapy are multiplied. A review of the literature supports this general impression.