Child Psychopathy: 5 Defining Characteristics, Diagnosis And Causes – I’m A Mom
Childhood psychopathy becomes evident in certain attitudes that do not correspond to the expected behavior under these circumstances. The main consequences occur in the relationship of the affected person with his environment. At the same time, they are a bit difficult to deal with. Next, we’ll look at the main features of this problem.
The definition of the term psychopathy indicates that these are behavioral changes caused by psychological disorders despite the person’s perceptive integrity. Basically, it details that the individual who suffers from this condition, in this case the child, has full mental and bodily functions, but his adaptation to the environment is not adequate due to these flaws in the psyche.
Although the word psychopath sounds shocking and is often linked to adults, these traits also appear in children. In fact, most of these people showed symptoms of psychopathy from childhood.
It is necessary to warn, however, that the psychopath is not always this demented, violent and criminal being that the films show us. It could simply be a person with a lack of empathy or sensitivity, as we will describe below.
5 characteristics of childhood psychopathy
How to recognize a child with psychopathic traits? Children who suffer from some form of childhood psychopathy often have one or more of these behavioral problems.
- They are self-centered, incapable of sharing, and very demanding, as well as inflexible with their parents.
- They tend to disobey. If they obey, it is usually under threat and, in the same way, they will try to get away with it.
- They will hardly express emotions. In children, emotions are very evident. They practically don’t disguise, especially the primaries. If a child shows little of this kind of response to the environment, it could be a sign of psychopathy.
- They feel little empathy. They have a hard time identifying and interpreting the emotions of others. In addition, they will also find it difficult to be involved in an affectionate relationship with another person.
- They are insensitive. They don’t feel guilt, remorse, or apologize for their misconduct. These are often frequent, either in the form of physical or verbal aggression, to impose dominance.
On the other hand, in adolescents, the inclination to rebel and the transgression of norms are usually indicators of psychopathy. It can also be the consumption of harmful substances such as alcohol, tobacco or drugs. Although these attitudes can occur regardless of psychopathic traits.
Diagnosis of childhood psychopathy
As previously stated, some of these behaviors can occur as characteristics of the child’s personality. However, psychopathic traits are characterized by being prolonged over time.
They usually appear around the age of 5, as the child begins to expand his or her social circle. In a child who does not present these alterations, these bad behaviors or attitudes would disappear after learning the norms and values that govern social life. Punishment, experts say, is not the ideal way to achieve this.
In children with psychopathies, however, this does not happen. The main reason is that they don’t feel guilty about what they do. Their innate aggression makes it incomprehensible to feel another person’s pain or to feel compassion, even for those closest to them. We repeat that violence cannot be exercised only physically. It can also be psychological or verbal violence.
Technological advances make it possible to measure brain responses to certain stimuli and, thus, psychopathic traits could be identified through a study called positron emission tomography.
What are the causes of childhood schizophrenia?
Like all mental disorders, psychopathy does not have a single, specific cause. It’s a combination of factors. There are mainly three types of causes of these psychological traits:
- Genetic factors. Children whose parents, grandparents, or other family members had psychopathic traits are more likely to have psychopathic traits as well. The same thing happens between twin brothers.
- Biological factors. Brain damage or dysfunction can lead to the acquisition of a psychopathy. At the same time, the poor connection between the amygdala (responsible for regulating emotions) and the prefrontal cortex can also be a source of this disorder.
- Psychological factors. The existence of a psychological vulnerability, activated by specific environmental conditions such as maltreatment or abuse, can lead to psychopathic conditions.
Advice to treat
Psychological therapy is a very complex alternative for these cases that, according to psychologists at University College London (United Kingdom), occur in one in every hundred children. This is due to the fact that patients themselves are unable to communicate sincerely and openly with others. Even worse if it’s someone they don’t know, as would be the case with the therapist.
However, planning an intense and lasting psychological treatment in an institution that has the human resources and interdisciplinary teams to do this can work. This last point is important, since leaving only one person responsible for another with psychopathy is extremely taxing on your mental health.
Most experts say their socialization is a bit difficult, although some current programs point to decreasing recidivism.
