Identity Dilemmas and Psychological Discourse: The Case of Psychopaths in a Secure Psychiatric Hospital

Abstract

Contemporary culture is patterned with psychological ideas and concepts. Social constructionist theory contends that these ideas constitute a regime of truth which constructs rather than describes a version of who we are. It is argued that the option of whether to reject or assimilate such concepts poses dilemmas for personal identity. This dilemma is considered through the example of a Q-methodological study of discourse about psychopathy amongst patients and staff in a secure, psychiatric hospital in England.