Study published in August 2007 issue of The Journal of Abnormal Psychology indicates that some traits correlating to adult psychopathy may be present as early as age 3.
A twenty-five year study, published this month in The Journal of Abnormal Psychology, demonstrates that, as early as the age of three, there are temperamental and physiological difference between those who show psychopathic tendencies as adults and those who don't.
What Is a Psychopath?
Psychopathy, also known as Antisocial Personality (APD or ASPD), is a psychological personality disorder. Not only do psychopaths lack emotions of conscience and empathy, but research has shown that these individuals consistently display certain aspects of temperament including a lack of fear, lack of inhibition and stimulus seeking behavior. Psychopathic adults have also demonstrated physiological idiosyncrasies, such as a reduced physical response to negative stimuli, and indifference to the threat of pain and punishment (Hare 1999).
Traits Predictive of Psychopathy
The Journal of Abnormal Psychology (Glen 2007) recently published the first long-term study to examine very young children for traits predictive of adult psychopathy. The team of researchers hypothesized that psychopathic adults would, as young children, be expected to show less fear and inhibition and more stimulus seeking/sociable behavior than adults who did not develop psychopathy. The researchers also predicted that, since adult psychopaths show reduced sensitivity to negative stimuli, this response would also be apparent at an early age.
Psychopathy Assessment of Children
Between 1972 and 1973, 1,795 three-year-olds, from the island of Mauritius, were enrolled in the study, and each observed and rated on several variables related to inhibited/disinhibited temperament, stimulation seeking/sociability and fearfulness/reactivity. Physiological reaction to stimuli was also assessed by monitoring skin conductivity (SC) in response to both neutral and aversive noise.
Skin conductivity startle response is a well studied physiological reaction caused by sympathetic nervous system activation. This response corresponds to measures of emotion, arousal, and attention. In this study, skin conductivity was painlessly measured, with leads on the first and second fingers of the left hand.
Psychopathy Assessment of Adults
Twenty-five years later, the researchers were able to complete follow-up assessments on 335 of the adults who had been originally evaluated as children. The subjects were tested for psychopathic traits using the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (SRP-II), a 60 item modified version of Dr. Robert Hare's Psychopathy ChecklistRevised (PCL-R).
Born to Be Psychopaths?
The investigators found that adults with higher psychopathy scores had marked differences as 3 year olds, being significantly less fearful/inhibited and more stimulus seeking/sociable than those adults who had lower psychopathy scores. With respect to physiologic response, the group with higher SRP-II scores had significantly reduced sensitivity to negative auditory stimuli as toddlers.
Fear and Morality
Kochanska (1993) has suggested that the normal fearfulness most children experience contributes to development of moral emotions like guilt, empathy and shame. Children who are more fearful are prone to remorse after doing wrong and are more concerned about the consequences of their behavior; a concern that typically deters them from future wrongdoings. The results of this study suggest that children with a low level of fearfulness may be more likely to develop antisocial personality as adults.
Sociability and Psychopathy
Sociability and seeking stimulation are traits often associated with the glibness, charm and manipulation shown by adult psychopaths, and this study did indicate that individuals testing psychopathic as adults had higher stimulus/seeking and sociability scores as three year olds.
Negative Stimuli and Psychopathic Traits
Lastly, the physiological reaction of longer skin conductivity recovery time, in response to negative stimuli, has been linked to impairment in a person's inclination to avoid harm or physical danger. This reduced sensitivity to negative stimuli is characteristic of adult psychopaths, and, in this study, was significantly more pronounced in the 3 year olds who developed psychopathic traits as adults (Glenn 2007).
Therapist suggests:
1. Look for a history of mental illness, especially if it is untreated, not medicated, and the child is destabilized.
2. Watch for a pattern of violent acts, especially if they escalate from minor to severe over time.
3. Thought, plan, intent: Have they verbalized thoughts about the violent act? Do they have an actual plan for said act? Do they intend to actually carry it out?
Psychiatrist suggests:
1. Watch for mounting anger and behavioral aggression with a history of acting out.
2. Keep an eye out for increasing isolation, with disturbed thoughts and fixation.
3. Is your child not able to see things from another's point of view? Do they lack empathy? This is especially troubling when seen together with #1 or #2.
Mental Health Advocates suggest:
1. Intuition is perhaps the most often ignored indicator of whether a child suffers from mental illness. Parents frequently ignore their intuition, because they don't want to believe that their child is "different" or struggling with a mental illness.
2. Communication is key. It's up to parents to communicate with their children, to know their children, so that they can recognize when things are off.
3. Watch for changes in behavior, dress, grades, friends, sleep-wake cycles, etc.
If that is not sufficiently complicated, psychopathy has also been linked with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD or ADD). This diagnosis has changed somewhat over the years and new research is continuing to refine it. In many respects, it represents two separate problems, although they appear to be linked. Children may have ADHD—primarily inattention, ADHD—primarily impulsive/hyperactive behavior, or a mixed type incorporating attributes of both. Inattention is usually identified in children for whom almost anything will prove distracting. Disorganization is common and the child may lose personal items regularly. Even when spoken to directly, the child may not pay attention and will be unable to provide feedback when asked. Hyperactive children frequently get into minor difficulties in school.
Donald R. Lynam seems to have done the most extensive work with this population. He showed that psychopathy has much in common with ODD, CD, and hyperactivity. He believes there is a neurological deficit that manifests as a lack of behavioral restraint, such as with hyperactive and impulsive children. Those with psychopathic personalities were shown to be stable offenders who were prone to the most serious offenses. Childhood psychopathy has also proven to be the best predictor of antisocial behavior in adolescence. Lynam advocates the need to continue to work on the concept of childhood psychopathy because if there is a stable construct, then it can be measured reliably and can offer more predictive value.
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