The diagnosis `psychopathy' formerly included many psychiatric syndromes which nowadays would be classified as personality disorders. After the nineteen forties, Cleckly, in his standard work `The mask of Sanity' made an pionering effort to carefully define the diagnosis of `psychopathy'.

In recent years a great deal of research has been done regarding the biological and/ or psychosocial explanations in the development of psychopathy.

With the introduction of the DSM classification-system, the diagnosis `Psychopathy' disappeared almost entirely from the professional jargon. This has been replaced by the `antisocial personality disorder'.

In this diagnosis, (criminal) behavioural disorders are accentuated, while underlying personality pathology is barely focussed on. By emphasizing the DSM classification-system too much, there is the risk that the diagnosis `Psychopathy' will not be recognised or classified as such.