Lycanthropy and demonomania: some psychopathological issues

Abstract

SYNOPSISModern reports on lycanthropy mainly concentrate on the content of patients' beliefs in being transformed into an animal. By contrast, an interest in the form of the symptomatology is usually minimal. This paper draws on Karl Jaspers' phenomenological views and focuses on some important albeit neglected psychopathological issues related to form which are relevant to any comprehensive consideration of lycanthropic phenomena.

Lycanthropy – psychopathological and psychodynamical aspects

“…In the current medical literature man–animal metamorphoses were described concerning the following animals: wolf/werewolf (1, 5–9), dog (5, 10–18), gerbil (5), rabbit (5), horse (10, 13), tiger (5, 19), cat (5, 10), bird (5, 13, 20), unspecified animal species (5, 15), frog and bee (17). In Asia, Africa and South America, metamorphoses in tiger, hyena, crocodile and shark were observed (21, 22).…”

“…Lycanthropic symptomatology can be seen in different mental diseases. Most of the patients suffer from an affective disorder (5, 9, 10, 12, 15, 16, 19) or from schizophrenia (5, 7, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20). Furthermore, the man–animal metamorphosis can be seen after the intake of psychotropic substances including cannabinoids (8) as well as alcohol abuse (6, 14).…”

“…In psychopathological terms the phenomenon of lycanthropy can be understood as depersonalization (8, 16), disorder of the integrity of the self (Jaspers) (12), psychotic symptom (19), overvalued idea (16) or hypochondria.…”

“…Koehler et al (12) discuss the lycanthropic symptomatology referring to the aspect of ‘possession’ described by Jaspers (24), who emphasized the determinance of symptoms by the cultural context. He mentioned the aspect of being possessed by the Devil and related it to the phenomenon of hysteria.…”

Life Crisis and the Body within

“…So it is possible to arrive at the breaking point in which the ego-awareness subfunction could fail. At the extreme, this could produce the experience of transformation in itself into another frightening personal reality [23][24][25]. We are talking about the own body's inner representation.…”