The psychopathic patient may be regarded as a case of parasitism. The parasite, living on his host, gradually loses all active functions, a condition followed by atrophy of organs no longer necessary to the life existence of the organism.

According to Demoor, “Atrophy begins with function when an organ has become useless. This uselessness may arise from two causes: the function may be no longer useful to the individual or to the species, or it may be assumed by another organ.” When an organism turns parasite it is an economy of nutrition and energy to save as much as possible. The tendency of parasitism is to dispense with unnecessary functions in the struggle for existence.

The loss of function is from the less useful, to the more useful, to the functions absolutely indispensable to survival; from the less essential, to the more essential, to functions absolutely essential to the life existence of the individual. The life activity of the parasite becomes more and more[132] narrowed, circumscribed, and dwindles down to a few functions requisite to its life existence, namely self-preservation, nutrition, and reproduction.

With the further increase of parasitism even the digestive and reproductive functions become simplified, the parasitic individual becomes reduced to the most fundamental of all impulses, the impulse of self-preservation and reproduction.

The penalty of parasitic life is the simplification of organic activities, the atrophy of all higher and complex life processes. This is what takes place in the case of the psychopathic individual. All higher activities, all higher interests cease.

In many neurotic cases of the severe type even the sexual instinct becomes gradually atrophied. The patient’s life is narrowed down to the impulse which is absolutely requisite for individual life existence, namely the impulse of self-preservation with its concomitant fear instinct.

The growth of the impulse of self-preservation with its fear instinct brings about their hypertrophy which in turn hastens the degenerative processes or atrophy of all higher and more complex activities. The psychopathic patient in the process of degeneration and atrophy falls so low that not only moral, social, intellectual, but simpler psychomotor reactions become gradually diminished and atrophied. In severe cases even the instinct of sex, requisite for the preservation of the species, is made subservient[133] to the impulse of self-preservation and the fear instinct.

In psychopathic life all activities are narrowed down to the pettiness of individual existence. It is not sex, it is not species-interests, nor conflicts, nor self-repressions that trouble the neurotic patient. An abnormal impulse of self-preservation and fear instinct are at the bottom of all psychopathic miseries. All psychopathic, neurotic interests are reduced to the sorry life of self and fear.

Lacking interest in anything but himself, terrorized by the fear of existence, the psychopathic patient lives a dreary, monotonous life out of which he seeks to escape. Monotony, ennui, indifference form the curse of his life. The patient is in a frantic condition, constantly in quest of interests which he cannot enjoy. Nothing can interest him, because he has no other interest but himself, and that is so narrow, that it can hardly fill existence.

As a matter of fact he is afraid to meet his fears, he is afraid of himself. He is afraid to come to a decision, never at peace, ever at war with himself. He is bored with himself, wearied with everything and with everybody. He is constantly eager to find new pastures and new excitements, so as to fill with some living interest his poor, narrow, mean, short existence obsessed by fear, misery, wretchedness, and brutish selfishness.

The patient is afraid to work, because it may[134] “fatigue and exhaust” him, and may bring about a state of disease, while he looks for health. He has no interest, because he only thinks of his little self, reduced to digestion, evacuation, and sleeping. The psychopathic patient leads an ............