Do you think child psychopaths exist?

Sharon - posted on 05/30/2012

It's true, Minna. Not all psychopaths become killers. Given the right environment some grow up to be productive members of society, often in positions of power...unfortunately others do not.

Minna - posted on 05/30/2012

The warning signs of a child potentially becoming a serial killer are documented1] Starting fires2]Hurting small kids or animals 3] bed wetting way beyond average age 4] biting another person so badly that there's a medical record of treatment.

A childhood friend of mine was definitely scary , seriously injured 2 small kids at different times that I know of because the cases went to court. He was not only into the fire thing but also liked to blow things up. When he was about 12 he stole a grave stone with the word "mother" on it , painted it glow in the dark and kept it in his room to scare mom.

Well, 30 years later he's a very well respected coroner.

So maybe you can be born with psychopathic tendencies, and it takes a trigger to in your environment to become full blown.

Or maybe some of these kids are so smart they learn to blend in,like my friend [and Dexter] Minna

Teresa - posted on 05/16/2012

True psychopaths aren't necesarily borne from abuse. The human brain is a growing , changing thing up into the early 20's. A psycopath who truly has no remorse is not a result of abuse alone. Jeffrey Dahmer came from a "normal" childhood. There is a physiological imbalance in these people that cannot be fixed with "tough love". They end up with impulsions that lead them to think a sociopathic way. ABused children usually just grow up to be abusive themselves but still feel remorse and self hatred. A sociopath feel no remorse and may feel self hatred only for the actions he/she can't control, not what was done to them.

Sharon - posted on 05/15/2012

But are all psychopaths a result of abuse? I don't believe so. Yes, abuse does awful things to the human psyche and can cause lasting damage but is true psychopathy something a person is born with? According to the study I saw documented, it is. But I suppose the key is recognising disturbing behaviour in a child and taking steps to teach the child the "right" way to live, and the acceptable way to treat other living beings. The problem with psychopaths is their inability to feel empathy, so harming others has no impact on them emotionally and as they have no regard for consequence they don't even think ahead as to how their actions may impact on their own lives. It's a complicated issue.

Jennifer - posted on 05/15/2012

Yes. Part of the special ed programs are geared toward "emotionally disturbed" children. I've met more than a couple who made my blood run cold and my hair stand on end.........It can be very disturbing working with these kids, but most are or were severly abused. Yes, some still live with their abusers!! Parent day in those classrooms can give me nightmares for weeks!

That being said- I fear that labelling them as 'phychopaths' at a young age is dangerous. They deserve a chance. Some of the WORST I've seeen have grown up to be productive and moral adults. Not always normal, but then who is totally normal?

As to hurting animals- one of my brothers friends was very cruel when we were younger, picked on my cats, and always wanted to experiment with mice and frogs and things he caught. He now does DNA research, and is involved with saving endangered species in zoos. I still carry a grudge about him tossing my cats on the roof, putting bags on their feet, and peircing ones ear, but I guess he turned out ok............

Katherine - posted on 05/14/2012

Well according to Ted Bundy's Biography he killed people who looked like his first love that dumped him. That's what I've heard anyways.

Amy - posted on 05/14/2012

I do think they exist but I also wonder how much the environment they are in contributes to their behavior. It definitely is an interesting topic.

Katherine - posted on 05/14/2012

Many serial killers were found to have killed small animals while children. Then they started killing pets, then people. It's very interesting IMO.

Sharon - posted on 05/14/2012

Yes I do. Research has shown that very young children will display signs of psychopathy. It's not always so obvious though as there are varying degrees of psychopathy. Martin Bryant, who committed the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania many years ago actually displayed psychopathic tendencies as a child. That's not to say he was doing evil deeds, but his interaction with others and his disregard for consequences was an indication that things were not quite "normal". Some experts believe that if the tendencies are diagnosed early enough in a child's life, then there are techniques to help the child learn to deal with others and to learn what is acceptable behaviour in our society. Unfortunately there is no evidence at this stage to suggest that this is a cure or will indeed stop psychopathic people from committing terrible wrongs.