1 in 100 kids is a psychopath, is yours?

catefrances

http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8525268

Most parents choose not to believe that some children are just born "evil", preferring to blame poor parenting for nasty kids — but a new study has found that 1 percent of babies could be inherently psychopathic.

Psychologists at University College London conducted two studies and found that 1 in 100 kids have psychopathic tendencies.

These kids — which psychologists describe as callous-unemotional — are characterised by their ability to lie, manipulate and commit acts of cruelty without remorse.

Other signs a child could be a psychopath include:

1. Very charming and engaging from a young age, exhibiting no shyness.
2. An inflated view of their abilities and self-worth: Psychopaths think they are better than others.
3. Constant need for stimulation: Takes risks, gets bored easily.
4. Pathological lying: Ranges from moderate — sly, crafty — to extreme deception, involving complex webs.
5. Manipulation: Exploitative and callously ruthless, without concern for others.
6. Remorseless: Unconcerned about losses, pain and suffering they inflict on others.
7. Lack of empathy: Cold, inconsiderate, contemptuous, but can act by imitation.
8. Early behaviour problems: Problem behaviour under 13 — lying, cheating, vandalism, bullying.
If your child exhibits any of these traits, don't despair. Study leader Professor Essi Viding says kids with psychopathic tendencies don't always go on to become full-blown psychopaths.

"For the group which has callous-unemotional traits, there's a strong genetic vulnerability," she says.

"This does not mean these children are born anti-social or are destined to become anti-social.

"But in the same way that some of us are more susceptible to heart disease, these children are people who are more vulnerable to environmental influences that trigger the anti-social outcome."

Australian researcher David Hawes from the University of Sydney agrees. He says his studies have suggested callous-unemotional children respond well to "warm parenting".

"The quality of a parent's emotional interaction and attachment with a young child is crucial to predicting if that child will develop this high-risk pattern of behaviour," Dr Hawes says.

"While CU characteristics seem to be largely under the control of genetics, if a child receives consistent and warm parenting in a secure family environment it can protect against those traits."

comebackgirl

Godfather posted an article in another thread that I think applies well here:

http://www.livescience.com/13083-crimin ... thics.html

I do think it's a combination of a genetic vulnerability that is triggered by an environment that prevents proper attachment (chaos, abuse, etc). Early attachment plays such an important role in developing the ability to empathize and form healthy relationships later in life. One of the difficulties is that parental figures are more likely to have positive emotional interactions and attachments with babies that are inherently more "cuddly" for lack of a better word; the baby's natural temperament is going to have some influence on attachment as well.

Godfather.

comebackgirl wrote:

Godfather posted an article in another thread that I think applies well here:

http://www.livescience.com/13083-crimin ... thics.html

I do think it's a combination of a genetic vulnerability that is triggered by an environment that prevents proper attachment (chaos, abuse, etc). Early attachment plays such an important role in developing the ability to empathize and form healthy relationships later in life. One of the difficulties is that parental figures are more likely to have positive emotional interactions and attachments with babies that are inherently more "cuddly" for lack of a better word; the baby's natural temperament is going to have some influence on attachment as well.

my mom thought all six of us kid's were crazy...turns out she was crazy as well

very cool artical,great reading !

Godfather.

comebackgirl

Godfather. wrote:

comebackgirl wrote:

Godfather posted an article in another thread that I think applies well here:

http://www.livescience.com/13083-crimin ... thics.html

I do think it's a combination of a genetic vulnerability that is triggered by an environment that prevents proper attachment (chaos, abuse, etc). Early attachment plays such an important role in developing the ability to empathize and form healthy relationships later in life. One of the difficulties is that parental figures are more likely to have positive emotional interactions and attachments with babies that are inherently more "cuddly" for lack of a better word; the baby's natural temperament is going to have some influence on attachment as well.

my mom thought all six of us kid's were crazy...turns out she was crazy as well

very cool artical,great reading !

Godfather.

well my "daughter" bit me...on my face...while I was sleeping. Psychopath for sure :shock: (it's not my parenting though....she was a rescue) :nono:

This is a good summary article too:

http://dcfs.co.la.ca.us/katieA/docs/Mal ... opment.pdf

hedonist

comebackgirl wrote:

well my "daughter" bit me...on my face...while I was sleeping. Psychopath for sure :shock: (it's not my parenting though....she was a rescue) :nono:

Hmmm...same here.

Also, my first thought reading this was the old film, "The Bad Seed".

hostis

there was a fascinating program in the UK that was about a so called psychopath gene. the doctor who discovered the gene was also found to have that same gene defect but when looking back and comparing his childhood against known psychopaths he said the only difference he could find is that he had a childhood full of laughter....

brianlux

My first thought was, "Did you mean sociopath?" So I looked into it and found this interesting article which distinguishes the two disorders:

http://voices.yahoo.com/sociopath-vs-ps ... 06224.html

Godfather.

brianlux wrote:

My first thought was, "Did you mean sociopath?" So I looked into it and found this interesting article which distinguishes the two disorders:

http://voices.yahoo.com/sociopath-vs-ps ... 06224.html

wow ! great post man very interesting.

Godfather.

comebackgirl

brianlux wrote:

My first thought was, "Did you mean sociopath?" So I looked into it and found this interesting article which distinguishes the two disorders:

http://voices.yahoo.com/sociopath-vs-ps ... 06224.html

Interesting read, especially the part about a genetic link. I wonder how very early environmental factors (including those in utero) impact the genetic predisposition and have an effect on temperamental differences. Maternal stress during pregnancy can impact the developing fetus, including brain development.

Neither sociopath or psychopath are diagnosable personality disorders under the DSM, although we definitely throw the terms around. The closest we have is antisocial personality disorder, which is based more on behavioral criteria, yet a lot of times that doesn't really fully capture what we see. The presentation of the same diagnosis can look very different from one person to the next, especially if there are comorbid Axis I or Axis II (personality) disorders. My diagnostic criteria: sociopaths give me an uneasy gut feeling, psychopaths make the hair stand up on the back of my neck

comebackgirl

An interesting article about the role of maternal stress on fetal brain development.
http://www.dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=37188

It's a little lengthy, but this portion speaks to the influence of prenatal stress on temperament and brain development:

"Maternal exposure to excessive psychosocial stressors during pregnancy, such as domestic violence or the death or serious illness of a loved one, may have negative effects on fetal and infant neurodevelopment, including delayed mental and motor development, difficult temperament, and impaired cognitive performance.46, 47 The underlying reasons for these effects are assumed to be stress-related alterations in brain structure and connectivity. We recently uncovered evidence of a direct link between the maternal emotional state during pregnancy and changes in the offspring’s brain structure. Children born to mothers who experienced high levels of anxiety in the early second trimester of pregnancy had region-specific reductions in gray matter volume48 and impaired executive function49 in middle childhood."

But the good news is that secure parental attachment after birth can have a protective benefit:

"Although the first year of postnatal life represents a period of heightened developmental vulnerability, it also may be a time when therapeutic interventions may have the greatest benefit. Interventions that provide a child with an enriched environment, along with age-appropriate psychomotor, attention, and other cognitive training, may be most beneficial during infancy and toddlerhood, when the brain is still highly plastic. Research suggests a substantial potential for the reversal of prenatal stress’ negative effects, with evidence suggesting postnatal compensation for prenatal adversity.53 We found an association between lower birth weight (a marker of intrauterine adversity) and a smaller hippocampus, a brain structure important for learning and memory processes, in young adults who reported low parental bonding during childhood. However, we found no such association among those who reported high parental bonding.54 "

A couple of other abstracts:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 6709609576

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 8003000502

Go Beavers

comebackgirl wrote:

Neither sociopath or psychopath are diagnosable personality disorders under the DSM, although we definitely throw the terms around. The closest we have is antisocial personality disorder, which is based more on behavioral criteria, yet a lot of times that doesn't really fully capture what we see. The presentation of the same diagnosis can look very different from one person to the next, especially if there are comorbid Axis I or Axis II (personality) disorders. My diagnostic criteria: sociopaths give me an uneasy gut feeling, psychopaths make the hair stand up on the back of my neck

I always used these after meeting with either: Sociopath: "eww, I feel slimey".
Psychopaths: "yikes, he's scary, make sure a staff is always in the same room with him."

comebackgirl

Go Beavers wrote:

comebackgirl wrote:

Neither sociopath or psychopath are diagnosable personality disorders under the DSM, although we definitely throw the terms around. The closest we have is antisocial personality disorder, which is based more on behavioral criteria, yet a lot of times that doesn't really fully capture what we see. The presentation of the same diagnosis can look very different from one person to the next, especially if there are comorbid Axis I or Axis II (personality) disorders. My diagnostic criteria: sociopaths give me an uneasy gut feeling, psychopaths make the hair stand up on the back of my neck

I always used these after meeting with either: Sociopath: "eww, I feel slimey".
Psychopaths: "yikes, he's scary, make sure a staff is always in the same room with him."

slimey is a perfect description. like you just feel the sliming oozing all over you *shudders*

JOEJOEJOE

catefrances wrote:

http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8525268

Most parents choose not to believe that some children are just born "evil", preferring to blame poor parenting for nasty kids — but a new study has found that 1 percent of babies could be inherently psychopathic.

Psychologists at University College London conducted two studies and found that 1 in 100 kids have psychopathic tendencies.

These kids — which psychologists describe as callous-unemotional — are characterised by their ability to lie, manipulate and commit acts of cruelty without remorse.

Other signs a child could be a psychopath include:

1. Very charming and engaging from a young age, exhibiting no shyness.
2. An inflated view of their abilities and self-worth: Psychopaths think they are better than others.
3. Constant need for stimulation: Takes risks, gets bored easily.
4. Pathological lying: Ranges from moderate — sly, crafty — to extreme deception, involving complex webs.
5. Manipulation: Exploitative and callously ruthless, without concern for others.
6. Remorseless: Unconcerned about losses, pain and suffering they inflict on others.
7. Lack of empathy: Cold, inconsiderate, contemptuous, but can act by imitation.
8. Early behaviour problems: Problem behaviour under 13 — lying, cheating, vandalism, bullying.
If your child exhibits any of these traits, don't despair. Study leader Professor Essi Viding says kids with psychopathic tendencies don't always go on to become full-blown psychopaths.

"For the group which has callous-unemotional traits, there's a strong genetic vulnerability," she says.

"This does not mean these children are born anti-social or are destined to become anti-social.

"But in the same way that some of us are more susceptible to heart disease, these children are people who are more vulnerable to environmental influences that trigger the anti-social outcome."

Australian researcher David Hawes from the University of Sydney agrees. He says his studies have suggested callous-unemotional children respond well to "warm parenting".

"The quality of a parent's emotional interaction and attachment with a young child is crucial to predicting if that child will develop this high-risk pattern of behaviour," Dr Hawes says.

"While CU characteristics seem to be largely under the control of genetics, if a child receives consistent and warm parenting in a secure family environment it can protect against those traits."

I wonder if this explains why so many child actors end up being a bit crazy when they get older?

Snakeduck

I don't have kids, but if I did... probably.

PJ_Soul

Gosh, it seems to me that more than 1 in 100 adults display non-violent psychopathic tendencies, so I wonder how that works? :?

peacefrompaul

Well, I'm incredibly shy...

Guess I'm not a psychopath! :P

PJ_Soul

peacefrompaul wrote:

Well, I'm incredibly shy...

Guess I'm not a psychopath! :P

:thumbup: Way to go!

comebackgirl

PJ_Soul wrote:

peacefrompaul wrote:

Well, I'm incredibly shy...

Guess I'm not a psychopath! :P

:thumbup: Way to go!

His parents must be so proud

peacefrompaul

comebackgirl wrote:

PJ_Soul wrote:

peacefrompaul wrote:

Well, I'm incredibly shy...

Guess I'm not a psychopath! :P

:thumbup: Way to go!

His parents must be so proud

The Lab Technician I had a couple months ago said my parents should be proud. :P

Who Princess

catefrances wrote:

http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8525268

Most parents choose not to believe that some children are just born "evil", preferring to blame poor parenting for nasty kids — but a new study has found that 1 percent of babies could be inherently psychopathic.

Psychologists at University College London conducted two studies and found that 1 in 100 kids have psychopathic tendencies.

These kids — which psychologists describe as callous-unemotional — are characterised by their ability to lie, manipulate and commit acts of cruelty without remorse.

Other signs a child could be a psychopath include:

1. Very charming and engaging from a young age, exhibiting no shyness.
2. An inflated view of their abilities and self-worth: Psychopaths think they are better than others.
3. Constant need for stimulation: Takes risks, gets bored easily.
4. Pathological lying: Ranges from moderate — sly, crafty — to extreme deception, involving complex webs.
5. Manipulation: Exploitative and callously ruthless, without concern for others.
6. Remorseless: Unconcerned about losses, pain and suffering they inflict on others.
7. Lack of empathy: Cold, inconsiderate, contemptuous, but can act by imitation.
8. Early behaviour problems: Problem behaviour under 13 — lying, cheating, vandalism, bullying.
If your child exhibits any of these traits, don't despair. Study leader Professor Essi Viding says kids with psychopathic tendencies don't always go on to become full-blown psychopaths.

"For the group which has callous-unemotional traits, there's a strong genetic vulnerability," she says.

"This does not mean these children are born anti-social or are destined to become anti-social.

"But in the same way that some of us are more susceptible to heart disease, these children are people who are more vulnerable to environmental influences that trigger the anti-social outcome."

Australian researcher David Hawes from the University of Sydney agrees. He says his studies have suggested callous-unemotional children respond well to "warm parenting".

"The quality of a parent's emotional interaction and attachment with a young child is crucial to predicting if that child will develop this high-risk pattern of behaviour," Dr Hawes says.

"While CU characteristics seem to be largely under the control of genetics, if a child receives consistent and warm parenting in a secure family environment it can protect against those traits."

:eh: :think:
This sounds an awful lot like a boss I used to have . . .

PJ_Soul

Who Princess wrote:

catefrances wrote:

http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8525268

Most parents choose not to believe that some children are just born "evil", preferring to blame poor parenting for nasty kids — but a new study has found that 1 percent of babies could be inherently psychopathic.

Psychologists at University College London conducted two studies and found that 1 in 100 kids have psychopathic tendencies.

These kids — which psychologists describe as callous-unemotional — are characterised by their ability to lie, manipulate and commit acts of cruelty without remorse.

Other signs a child could be a psychopath include:

1. Very charming and engaging from a young age, exhibiting no shyness.
2. An inflated view of their abilities and self-worth: Psychopaths think they are better than others.
3. Constant need for stimulation: Takes risks, gets bored easily.
4. Pathological lying: Ranges from moderate — sly, crafty — to extreme deception, involving complex webs.
5. Manipulation: Exploitative and callously ruthless, without concern for others.
6. Remorseless: Unconcerned about losses, pain and suffering they inflict on others.
7. Lack of empathy: Cold, inconsiderate, contemptuous, but can act by imitation.
8. Early behaviour problems: Problem behaviour under 13 — lying, cheating, vandalism, bullying.
If your child exhibits any of these traits, don't despair. Study leader Professor Essi Viding says kids with psychopathic tendencies don't always go on to become full-blown psychopaths.

"For the group which has callous-unemotional traits, there's a strong genetic vulnerability," she says.

"This does not mean these children are born anti-social or are destined to become anti-social.

"But in the same way that some of us are more susceptible to heart disease, these children are people who are more vulnerable to environmental influences that trigger the anti-social outcome."

Australian researcher David Hawes from the University of Sydney agrees. He says his studies have suggested callous-unemotional children respond well to "warm parenting".

"The quality of a parent's emotional interaction and attachment with a young child is crucial to predicting if that child will develop this high-risk pattern of behaviour," Dr Hawes says.

"While CU characteristics seem to be largely under the control of genetics, if a child receives consistent and warm parenting in a secure family environment it can protect against those traits."

:eh: :think:
This sounds an awful lot like a boss I used to have . . .

It ABSOLUTELY describes my boss (really my boss's boss, but he's always there). Me and my coworkers ha e been describing him as a psychopath for a long time. It sucks. :evil: Now I know.... his parents didn't hug him enough. :lolno:

comebackgirl

PJ_Soul wrote:

Who Princess wrote:

catefrances wrote:

http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8525268

Most parents choose not to believe that some children are just born "evil", preferring to blame poor parenting for nasty kids — but a new study has found that 1 percent of babies could be inherently psychopathic.

Psychologists at University College London conducted two studies and found that 1 in 100 kids have psychopathic tendencies.

These kids — which psychologists describe as callous-unemotional — are characterised by their ability to lie, manipulate and commit acts of cruelty without remorse.

Other signs a child could be a psychopath include:

1. Very charming and engaging from a young age, exhibiting no shyness.
2. An inflated view of their abilities and self-worth: Psychopaths think they are better than others.
3. Constant need for stimulation: Takes risks, gets bored easily.
4. Pathological lying: Ranges from moderate — sly, crafty — to extreme deception, involving complex webs.
5. Manipulation: Exploitative and callously ruthless, without concern for others.
6. Remorseless: Unconcerned about losses, pain and suffering they inflict on others.
7. Lack of empathy: Cold, inconsiderate, contemptuous, but can act by imitation.
8. Early behaviour problems: Problem behaviour under 13 — lying, cheating, vandalism, bullying.
If your child exhibits any of these traits, don't despair. Study leader Professor Essi Viding says kids with psychopathic tendencies don't always go on to become full-blown psychopaths.

"For the group which has callous-unemotional traits, there's a strong genetic vulnerability," she says.

"This does not mean these children are born anti-social or are destined to become anti-social.

"But in the same way that some of us are more susceptible to heart disease, these children are people who are more vulnerable to environmental influences that trigger the anti-social outcome."

Australian researcher David Hawes from the University of Sydney agrees. He says his studies have suggested callous-unemotional children respond well to "warm parenting".

"The quality of a parent's emotional interaction and attachment with a young child is crucial to predicting if that child will develop this high-risk pattern of behaviour," Dr Hawes says.

"While CU characteristics seem to be largely under the control of genetics, if a child receives consistent and warm parenting in a secure family environment it can protect against those traits."

:eh: :think:
This sounds an awful lot like a boss I used to have . . .

It ABSOLUTELY describes my boss (really my boss's boss, but he's always there). Me and my coworkers ha e been describing him as a psychopath for a long time. It sucks. :evil: Now I know.... his parents didn't hug him enough. :lolno:

It's not too late! Get your hug on and see if you can rewire that brain of his :?

comebackgirl

peacefrompaul wrote:

comebackgirl wrote:

PJ_Soul wrote:

:thumbup: Way to go!

His parents must be so proud

The Lab Technician I had a couple months ago said my parents should be proud. :P

actually, judging from what I've seen of your posts, they have a lot of reasons to be proud
Not being a psychopath is just the icing on the cake

peacefrompaul

comebackgirl wrote:

actually, judging from what I've seen of your posts, they have a lot of reasons to be proud
Not being a psychopath is just the icing on the cake

Thanks, Ma'am! :P

comebackgirl

peacefrompaul wrote:

comebackgirl wrote:

actually, judging from what I've seen of your posts, they have a lot of reasons to be proud
Not being a psychopath is just the icing on the cake

Thanks, Ma'am! :P

Ma'am?!?!?!?! :x
I take it all back

peacefrompaul

comebackgirl wrote:

peacefrompaul wrote:

comebackgirl wrote:

actually, judging from what I've seen of your posts, they have a lot of reasons to be proud
Not being a psychopath is just the icing on the cake

Thanks, Ma'am! :P

Ma'am?!?!?!?! :x
I take it all back

Sorry... :oops: I'm normally very polite... :oops:

comebackgirl

peacefrompaul wrote:

comebackgirl wrote:

peacefrompaul wrote:

Thanks, Ma'am! :P

Ma'am?!?!?!?! :x
I take it all back

Sorry... :oops: I'm normally very polite... :oops:

all is forgiven

peacefrompaul

comebackgirl wrote:

all is forgiven

PJ_Soul

comebackgirl wrote:

peacefrompaul wrote:

comebackgirl wrote:

actually, judging from what I've seen of your posts, they have a lot of reasons to be proud
Not being a psychopath is just the icing on the cake

Thanks, Ma'am! :P

Ma'am?!?!?!?! :x
I take it all back

peacefrompaul

PJ_Soul wrote:

:oops:

PJ_Soul

peacefrompaul wrote:

PJ_Soul wrote:

:oops:

Nooo, it's cute!