P ~ c e p t u a land Motor Skills, 1977, 4 5 , 702. @ Perceptual and Motor Skills 1977 RELATIONSHIP B E T W E E N VIOLENCE A N D CATECHOLAMINES1 DAVID WOODMAN, JOHN HINTON, AND MICHAEL O'NEILL &oadmoor Hospitalz Studies of t h e physiological effects and differential catecholamine excretion induced by various emotionally arousing stimuli have largely associated anxiety o r apprehension with adrenalin secretion and anger o r aggression with noradrenalin secretion ( 1 , 2 ) , although this latter correlation has been disputed
( 4 ) . Also increasing concentrations of noradrenalin relative t o adrenalin have been reported i n aggressive personalities without recourse to t h e use of stressors, while increasing concentration of adrenalin relative to noradrenalin has been said to occur in anxious subjects (3, 6). This paper reports a study on 50 male admissions to a maximum security hospital, a group of 25 patients having convictions only for violent personal attacks and a second 25 having convictions for a variety of offences including arson, sexual and property offences. Blood and urine samples were obtained immediately prior to the patient's participation in an experiment to assess t h e psya mild stressor programme ( 5 ) . Compared t o the mixed offender group, the violent offender group had significantly lower urinary 0.005) and t h e plasma adrenalin ( p 0.1) with simultaneously adrenalin ( p
chophysiological effects of
( 4 ) . Also increasing concentrations of noradrenalin relative t o adrenalin have been reported i n aggressive personalities without recourse to t h e use of stressors, while increasing concentration of adrenalin relative to noradrenalin has been said to occur in anxious subjects (3, 6). This paper reports a study on 50 male admissions to a maximum security hospital, a group of 25 patients having convictions only for violent personal attacks and a second 25 having convictions for a variety of offences including arson, sexual and property offences. Blood and urine samples were obtained immediately prior to the patient's participation in an experiment to assess t h e psya mild stressor programme ( 5 ) . Compared t o the mixed offender group, the violent offender group had significantly lower urinary 0.005) and t h e plasma adrenalin ( p 0.1) with simultaneously adrenalin ( p
chophysiological effects of
