Psychopathy In Children: Symptoms, Causes And Treatment

Psychopathy in children is a disorder that is worth talking about. In particular, it involves a high degree of destruction, a heavy burden of aggression and a harmful component to society.

We believe that it is important to study the adult manifestations of psychopathy, but also how they develop in a person over time. There are two things we want to signal out. First, we live in a society with an ever-increasing rate of violence. Second , people begin to commit violent crimes at a younger age.

What are some of the causes of child psychopathy?

We still do not know what causes psychopathy. However, there are some theories and hypotheses in the case that we want to share. They only partly explain the reasons, but are not decisive.

There are biological theories that point to the role of hormones, such as testosterone, or irregularities in brain structure. On the other hand, learning theories show us the consequences that a violent childhood can have.

Social theories talk about social change with loose ethical and moral principles that can explain why psychopathic disorders are rising.

The most relevant theories today are the interaction theories. Namely, these theories point out that biological and genetic factors play a role in psychopaths’ anomalies in their inability to feel empathy or other emotions.

However, when it comes to child psychopathy, we must also take into account pedagogical factors. Social factors and parental actions can influence children’s behavior. Furthermore, a child’s environment can affect them in a way that can lead them to become criminals or even serial killers.

Important characteristics of a psychopathic personality

Robert D. Hare described the most important characteristics of the psychopathic personality in 2003:

• A superficial and simple mind : Psychopaths do nothing but pretend and play.
• They are self-centered and arrogant : Psychopaths are very narcissistic people. Consequently, they think only of their own well-being and satisfaction of their needs. In the same way, they do not follow social norms. Instead, they just follow their own norms and impulses.

Selfishness can be present in all children, depending on age. However, over time, it may disappear or adjust to a more normal level as the child learns and matures. A child who develops a psychopathic personality will appear persistently selfish. Furthermore, they usually demand things from others and are very stubborn. Consequently, they become the frightening leaders of their groups of companions. This tends to get worse as they get older.

• Lack of remorse or guilt : They do not care about harming others. In other words, they are capable of great destruction and unable to feel guilt or remorse. In particular, this lack of remorse is affected by their infamous ability to justify their behavior. In this way, they avoid accepting responsibility for their actions.
• Lack of empathy : All of these traits stem from their lack of empathy. They have no ability or interest in understanding the feelings of others. Since they show a general lack of empathy, it is difficult or impossible for them to have authentic emotional ties.
• They are manipulators or liars : Psychopaths are stubborn. Even when you catch them in a lie, they do not stop lying. Rather, they continue to change their history, creating a complex web of lies and contradictions.

Treatment of psychopathy in children

Psychopathy in children can make children lie from an early age. Their first victims are usually their parents, siblings or companions. Under certain circumstances, they can learn to control their anger. But in the long run, they can not do it. This can allow parents to discover their strange personality early on.

Since psychopathy is a personality disorder, there are still very limited possible treatments. Thus, we should not have high expectations. It is unlikely that we will be able to make the child an honest or loyal person. In fact, they will very rarely lose their psychopathic qualities. We can only try to manage them moderately.

There are two very important aspects we should take into account to understand their problem. First we should take a look at the child’s environment. Secondly, the age at which the parents or caregivers first discover the disorder is very important. In fact, early detection and treatment before the child is eight or nine years old can significantly increase their chances of success.