Have you ever met a child psychopath?

[TheJuryIsOut]

There's some debate about whether psychopaths are born like that or made as a consequence of their environment/upbringing. If they are born that way (which I believe they are) have you ever met one? What were the signs?

I say this because there is a child in my wider family who I think may be a psychopath, there has been signs from when he was very very young and as he moves through his teenage years things have only got worse. I can't get on board with it being an environment thing as no one else in the family behaves the way he does, it's quite terrifying to think that no matter what you do your child could still go on to do horrific things and not feel a jot of guilt.

What do you think? Are they born or made?

Fascinating. What a way to find out!

It’s already been discussed at length and the General consensus is that both biology and environment play a part.
For example Hitlers DNA was discovered and examined and he’s in the 99th percentile for lots of conditions that likely contributed to his adult behaviours.
Documentaries about Ian Brady suggest that early childhood trauma, bullying and having no real family bonds caused his brain to get damaged during early development,
Look up the effects of cortisone on a developing brain.

We were on holiday one year with my then 13 year old DD. She met a girl & they became friendly. The girls Sister who was about 15 at the time was awful & tried her best to not have her younger Sister make friends & was just generally unpleasant to everyone. There was something about her made me feel really wary & anxious & had my spidey senses on high alert, It was such a weird feeling I'd not had before or had since. A few years later I was reading the newspaper & there was the Sisters face on the front page. She'd been arrested for the torture & attempted murder of a vulnerable person. What she did was horrendous. I think she was damaged from an early age given the way she was at 15. So Yes I think I have met a child Psychopath.

I knew a child,who at the time was aged 9 (his siblings where then 8 and 6)

I honestly think his mother was a psychopath too-i saw her mask slip so many times,she was almost certainly narcissistic

She was as blank behind the eyes as he was and didnt seem to have a grasp on things that would have horrified anyone else-i can't explain it properly

I remember talking in a group about an awful gang rape that had happened in the next street,the week before,we where horrified at the details but all we got out of her was 'awww,thats sad' in the most 'I cant be arsed' tone of voice

No empathy at all-its like it didnt effect her (one example out of many)

It's like she had a mask and hid her true self behind it

His father was a cold,abusive man who ended up in prison for child abuse

The siblings where terrified of their brother,classmates stayed away and teachers where at the end of their tether

It was like he was blank behind the eyes (I cant explain it) there was nothing there in him-just like his mother

He could be perfectly charming (I saw this many times) but cruel beyond words-he (and his mother) could flip flop between being charming and pure evil in the space of a second

He attacked anyone/anything,animals,other children,adults,property-everything was fair game

I heard him talking to another child (same age) about how he'd killed and torn cats open just to see their insides

He tried to put my windows through,smashed up my rabbits hutch as 'I want to strangle it',tried to attack my neighbours dog and pissed all over my child's bed but didnt seem to think he'd done anything wrong when I hit the roof (his mother didnt seem to think there was a problem either-dad was in prison by then) this was just one day in his life

This child (and his siblings) had the most horrific life-sexual/physical/mental/emotional abuse (thankfully ss got involved and they where put into care)

His foster carer's couldn't cope-i dont blame them,I saw what he was capable of

He openly talked about murdering someone just 'for the rush' he was 9 years old

I lost touch once he was put into care but about 10 years later,my then adult dd was walking home

She rang to say she'd be 5 minutes late,I said that was fine (it was broad daylight) and the next thing I know she came bursting through the front door,screaming and shaking,she was that frightened,she couldn't tell me what had happened

Turned out,this lad had walked up to her,covered in blood,screamed/roared in her face and made stabbing motions with the knife he was holding as he walked away and she ran out into a busy main road and home

He'd just murdered his mums boyfriend and left,walking down the street (where he saw dd) and was arrested

He told the police he wanted to 'feel the rush of taking a life' while laughing at slitting this poor man's throat and stabbing him

He'd wanted to kill his mother but went for her boyfriend instead as he hated this bloke and thought it would hurt his mother more

He has been diagnosed as being a narcissist and psychopath

I think his case was he had the traits but his childhood tipped him over into evil-nurture v's nature,maybe he wouldn't have done it if he'd had a loving childhood but would still have had the traits, but would be able to 'deal' with them better

His siblings are damaged by their childhood but have grown into lovely adults who work hard,raise awareness about life in care and are both settled with their partners

I honestly dont think he should ever be released,his mother found god and is now very religious-the church she goes to seem to gloss over a lot of her behaviour and her shortfalls

She has also made it clear shes walked away from all her children (not just him) as 'they dont really matter' she even gave an interview to a magazine about him (painting herself as a perfect mother) and it came across as she was proud of how she felt about her ds

I wouldn't use the term psychopath but I once taught a boy who had very frightening tendencies. He once kicked another boy and broke his leg. He was a complete nightmare in class and at home, as his mother couldn't cope with him.

I don't know what became if him, but I would bet on prison being the most likely option.

I read a simple definition by a psychologist that psychopaths are born and sociopaths are made.

I've read that too

You've just described dps ex wife

She was pulled out of school aged 14 due to bullying,her mum died around this time and her father (who I've never met) is described as 'odd' by everyone who's ever met him

Shes also the youngest (by about 10 years) to her sisters and was treated with kid gloves because of her behaviour while growing up

You could be having as totally normal conversation and out of nowhere,she'd blow up

I remember saying to her something like 'ive been here with my own dd,she will be ok,you need to talk to her when she gets home,now go put your feet up and have a g&t and this will get sorted out'

She went nuclear at me-'I CANNOT HAVE A DRINK!DO YOU NOT KNOW THE AMOUNT OF MEDICATION I AM ON?I DONT FUCKING DRINK,YOU THICK BITCH!I DONT LIKE GIN,I CANNOT STAND TONIC AND YOUR TALKING OUT OF YOUR ARSE!I WILL NOT SPEAK TO HER,SHE WILL DO AS SHES TOLD!'

Anyone else would have said along the lines of 'yes,I know your talking sense and your advice is sound,ill speak to her once shes home dont like g&t but a coke sounds like a better option!i can see how teens drive you to drink!hahaha'

Their dd once weed herself while being potty trained,so mil (who had been babysitting) bathed her to get the urine off and popped her clothes in the wash (dressing her in another outfit) as I would have done

Ex wife came back,hit the roof at mil (screaming and shouting) and had to be held back from slapping mil ('THIS MORNING I PUT HER IN HER FIFI OUTFIT!HOW FUCKING DARE YOU PUT HER IN THE DORA ONE?I DONT CARE IF SHE PISSED HERSELF!')

Dp has said many times she could start as row in an empty room-she once stabbed him for being 2 minutes late home from work (traffic was bad)

She also admits to hating herself so lashes out at anyone who is comfortable in their own skin

I will show him your post when he gets home-thank you,it makes sense

Onbdy · Today 01:12
Exactly this! I’m speechless!
The ‘all children are wonderful and there’s an excuse for everything’ mentality is fucking dangerous!

I agree. I don't know why people still seem to subscribe to the Victorian myth of the innocent cherub.

I think, apart from other considerations, it's patronising to children. Children are young versions of us - they're individuals. I've worked in education all my life and when people ask me if I like children, I always say - some, yes, and others, no. They're not a special species. I don't like them just because they're children. (Having said that, I would challenge anyone to guess which children I didn't like in my class - I was very careful to remain professional, and in fact probably erred on the side of being extra nice to them.)

I'm sure there are one or two in every school whose concerning behaviour isn't explicable just by looking at their background. I've certainly met at least one.

Scientists and psychologists generally agree on the following combination:
Born (Genetics): Twin and adoption studies show that the underlying traits of psychopathy—such as a lack of empathy, callousness, and fearlessness—have strong hereditary roots. Genetic factors can predispose individuals to have structural differences in the brain, particularly in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, which affect emotional processing and impulse control.
Made (Environment): Environmental factors determine whether these genetic predispositions actually develop into full psychopathy
. Childhood trauma, severe abuse, neglect, or inconsistent/unstable parenting can significantly amplify the development of psychopathic behaviors.
BBC Science Focus Magazine +7

You don't know his background though.

I'm sorry but this is really disturbing. You refuse to look this child in the eye, but you're a professional who's supposedly there to provide some sort of treatment or service?

You ask the violent criminal. Some of the posts on this thread show why "pillars of the community" get away with the worst of crimes against their wives and children.

Well he was adopted for a reason.

Was going to say the same. These are more likely to be intrusive thoughts. Common in people with anxiety and OCD. When I had CBT a while ago for anxiety I was given a list of common intrusive thoughts and some were very shocking. I felt more normal after reading them

I’m sorry but denying that they can be is not only ridiculous but a dangerous way of thinking. A switch isn’t suddenly
switched at the age of 18 when lovely sweet children become evil. Having a difficult upbringing etc is never an excuse. I’ve taught hundreds of kids who have had really awful upbringings but they haven’t grown up to be evil bastards. The people enabling their behaviour due to their upbringing is a much bigger and more damaging issue.

I used to get very distressing intrusive thoughts. However, in my case, the thoughts came alongside horrible flashbacks from my childhood CSA, which I’d repressed for many years, which had led to me developing PTSD.

Once I understood what was going on, I processed the flashbacks in EMDR sessions and the intrusive thoughts and images in my head mostly stopped. Not completely, but it really helped understanding what was happening.

So I would agree that this doesn’t sound like psychopathy.

Abuse doesn't go on in decent homes or else they would not be decent homes!

Do you live in them all?

I think the PP meant seemingly decent homes. Like the home I grew up in, which appeared to be a loving, middle class family, but where in reality my F was sexually abusing my DSis and me. So no, obviously not actually decent at all.

Did you miss the quotation marks?

Children can have what is called conduct disorder and there is time to ‘fix’ it before they get to an age where they would be diagnosed with ASPD.

So, instead of trying to help him change whilst there is a window of opportunity, you’re engaging in power play with him instead to prove a point?

And you’ve written him off. How exactly will that help?

How is writing off children as evil helping?

There is a completely awful kid that “plays” with some other local kids. Once he’s in the mix the whole dynamic changes. He seems to want to destroy everything. He’ll just grab what’s not his ie a bike and thrash the life out of it then just chuck it down. He tries to destroy trees. He pesters the neighbours by pulling fence panels down or manipulates another (younger, nicer) kid to whack a football up a fence by drawing a target on it. I’ve seen him piss in public more than once and I’ve seen him smack a nicer kid hard round the face. He laughs at any telling off. He’s on a mission to upset people. No school. I doubt one would want him. I don’t know if he’s a psychopath but I loathe the sight of him.