[Modified concept of psychopathy]

After a brief recapitulation of the conceptual history of the term 'psychopath', the author presents the modern view of 'psychopathy' coined by US-American researchers. This new concept found its most concise, operationalized form in the 20 diagnostic criteria of Robert D. Hare's 'psychopathy Checklist-Revised' (PCL-R). In sharp contrast to older German concepts, which were not confined to antisocial characters, the American 'psychopathy' diagnosis covers a core group of delinquents showing marked unscrupulousness and elevated proneness to relapse. After having listed a number of empirical findings confirming the validity of the diagnosis 'psychopath' on different levels of investigation, the author demonstrates the close connection between personality traits and behavioral characteristics of this highly problematic group, making use of the so-called functional circle designed by J. v. Uexküll.