Impulse, Aggression and Sexuality in the XYY Syndrome
![handle is hein.journals/stjohn44 and id is 240 raw text is: IMPULSE, AGGRESSION AND SEXUALITY
IN THE XYY SYNDROME
JOHN MONEY*
RONALD J. GAsKIN** AND HARRY HULL**
INTRODUCTION
Aggression has been much publicized as a feature of the XYY syn-
drome. There has been, however, all too little study of the psychology
of the XYY individual in regard to either this so-called aggression or
to any other aspect of his behavior.1 The purpose of this paper is to
examine the published literature that reports behavior of XYY indi-
viduals, and to add data from the case records, which include tape-
recorded, transcribed interviews of all four XYY individuals who have
been seen in the Psychohormonal Research Unit of The Johns Hop-
kins Hospital. Because of recent irresponsible publicity in the mass
media, including material which has jeopardized individual privacy,
we have chosen to disguise any reference to the personal identity of our
patients.
SAMPLE SELECTION AND METHOD
The sample consists of the four individuals mentioned above, plus
31 others reported, with sufficient behavioral detail, in twelve different
published papers.2 Thirty were adults; two were teenagers of 16; three
were boys, two aged 8 and one aged 5.
For the most part, the sample was deliberately drawn from men
in prison, on the basis of preliminary evidence that XYY karyotypes
would be easier to find among tall men in jail than elsewhere.3 Outside
of the prison population, two men were identified. One was karyotyped
fortuitously when a sample of his blood was being used experimentally.
He was specified as a nonaggressive, unmarried loner who had fre-
*Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Pediatrics,
The Johns Hopkins University and Hospital; M.A., University of New Zealand; Ph.D.,
Harvard University.
This project was supported in research by Grant #HD-00325 and Grant #HD-K3-
18635, United States Public Health Service. The authors wish to thank Dr. D. Borgaonkar
and Dr. P. Welch for supplying chromosome data, and Dr. V. McKusick, Dr. S. Borkowf,
Dr. B. Robinson and Dr. H. M. Boslow for permission to interview patients.
* * Dr. Money was aided in the preparation of this article by Mr. Ronald Gaskin and
Mr. Harry Hull, medical students.
1 Fox, XYY Chromosomes and Crime, 2 Ausr. & N.Z.J. CRIMINOLOGY 5-19 (1969).
2 See Table 1, App. A [hereinafter Table 1].
a Jacobs, Brunton, Melville, Brittain & McClemont, Aggressive Behavior, Mental Sub-
normality, and the XYY Male, 208 NA-ruRE 1351-52 (1965).](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/stjohn44&div=20&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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Impulse, Aggression and Sexuality in the XYY Syndrome
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