Psychopathy It's Not For Children Analysis

Samara Levy
April 6, 2013
Psychopathy: It 's Not for Children 9-year-old Michael is intermittently hostile and calm, childish and aloof. He switches between highs and lows regularly, but does that make him a psychopath? The traits Michael exhibits are called callous-unemotional and many experts consider them precursors to psychopathy (Kahn). Although it is impossible to diagnose a child as a psychopath, it is true that children who display callous-unemotional tendencies exhibit antisocial behaviors, can easily manipulate others and orchestrate mayhem, and have brains that are significantly different from the norm. Callous-unemotional children present various antisocial behaviors that are not observed in average children, but may be
When questioned by the police, the boy attributed his actions to curiosity (Kahn). It was obvious that the boy felt neither remorse for the murder, nor empathy towards his victim. Lack of empathy is a common trait among adult psychopaths. Similarly, many famous psychopaths tortured animals as young children. Although an unusually extreme case, this serves as a prime example of the difference between callous-unemotional and average children, as well as a similarity between callous-unemotional children and children that grew up to be psychopaths. Yet, “[Callous-unemotional] traits generally [are] less associated with measures of conduct problems than the impulsive and narcissism dimensions of psychopathy...[Callous-unemotional] traits [are also] important for designating a more severe and stable pattern of antisocial behavior within children who showed serious conduct problems” (Frick, White). Callous-unemotional traits are used to critically observe the impulsivity and narcissism dimensions of psychopathy in children, rather than the obvious conduct problems these children also have. These conduct problems, however, may set them apart not only from average children, but also from adult
By the age of five, Michael’s behavior was in a constant state of flux, depending on his intent for the situation. He was able to switch from rage to rationality or charm effortlessly (Kahn). Equivalently, it is common among adult psychopaths to be unusually charming or charismatic. The ability to manipulate others to achieve a desired result is unusual when observed in children because kids are generally impulsive, acting in the moment instead of with long-term goals in mind. In a study conducted by Dr. Daniel Waschbusch, callous-unemotional children were observed in a summer camp-style environment. One girl, referred to as L. to protect her privacy, smuggled small toys into the camp to get some of the boys to act out or disrupt the program. “L. quickly found ways to play different boys off one another. ‘Some manipulation by girls is typical,’ Waschbusch said as the kids trooped inside. ‘The amount she does it, and the precision with which she does it - that’s unprecedented’” (Kahn). What stands out in L.’s case is the way she went about controlling the people around her. L.’s style of control was driven by positive reinforcement (toys in exchange for disruptions), which adult psychopaths have been proven to respond to over negative reinforcement. Manipulating others is characteristic of both adult