This is an overview of the diagnosis and treatment of individuals who are often described as "psychopathic" or antisocial. The author points out that different nosological systems use these terms to refer to behavior, personality, or character. He suggests it is clinically appropriate to think of a true personality type and to differentiate this from other mental disorders, such as mental retardation and organic, hypomanic, or histrionic syndromes, which may also lead to antisocial action. Episodic dyscontrol and hysteria are two psychological categories which are of special interest to the psychoanalyst. While biological predisposition may be important, psychodynamic factors should not be minimized by the psychiatrist. Sociopaths are found to come from grossly disturbed, unstable, or chaotic families. The unstable and defective early relationships lead to the development of faulty ego and superego