In a reality as troubled as the one we live in today, psychopaths are increasingly becoming part of the news. In this paper, we will address the issue of child psychopathy Given the increasingly chaotic situation in which we live today, dealing with the subject is very relevant.

The article you will read today is an adaptation of a monograph by José da Siva, who has completed our complete training in Clinical Psychoanalysis 100% online. In this work, you will have access to a very complete reflection on how psychopathy develops in childhood.

Having said that, note that the article follows the following order of contents:

1. Introduction
   1. What is psychopathy?
   2. Child Psychopathy
   3. Diagnosis
2. Genetics versus environment
3. Some children who suffered from psychopathy in history
   1. Beth Thomas
   2. Mary Bell
   3. Sakakibara Seito
4. Ways of assisting the psychopathic child
5. Treatment
6. Final considerations

Introduction

According to research by psychiatrist Ana Beatriz Barbosa, 4% of the world's population is composed of psychopaths, which reveals the high degree of violence that society faces because of a mental disorder. The film industry explores this theme intensely, bringing horrific stories that happen all over the world, where psychopathy has gained its prominence.

However, there is something we must not forget: the psychopathic adult was once a child, and unfortunately, the rate of conduct disorders in childhood has grown alarmingly. With this in mind, and based on the meaning of psychopathy as well as its characteristics, we will also approach this disorder in childhood. To do so, we will discuss the factors that promote this dysfunction, also seeking a possible diagnosis.

To substantiate the subject, we will use as examples stories that have happened to children who have committed atrocities. Furthermore, we will explore what our criminal code says about this subject and recommend how to assist a child or teenager legally. This is something that we have to establish from a legal point of view, since the treatment involves issues such as the physical integrity of the individual.However, how to carry out the intervention?

What is psychopathy?

According to the electronic dictionary definition, psychopathy is a " Severe mental disorder in which the sufferer exhibits antisocial and amoral behavior without demonstration of regret or remorse, inability to love and relate to other people with deep emotional ties, extreme self-centeredness, and inability to learn from experience."

About this, Zimmerman wrote that " ...psychopathy can be seen as a moral defect, since this term designates a psychic disorder that manifests itself at the level of antisocial conduct Furthermore, psychopathy was recognized by the father of psychiatry, Philippe Pinel, a French physician, who identified the disorder as early as the 19th century.

The scholars noticed that some patients had a tendency to practice impulsive and high-risk acts, while all reasoning capacity was preserved. After deepening their knowledge, they created a standard that enabled the classification to accurately diagnose this disorder. According to analysis, the psychopath is characterized by a lack of remorse and impetuosity, differing from the psychotic person .

Outlines of psychopathy

The psychopath fails to integrate emotion with the senses of words. He develops, and very well, what suits him because he is extremely selfish. What he cannot have is empathy for other people, because he seeks situations that stimulate the production of adrenaline.

The most common examples, according to Zimmermam, are: "... those of subjects who steal and rob, lie, deceive and are impostors, seduce and corrupt, use drugs and commit crimes, transgress social laws and involve others ."

Child Psychopathy

Unfortunately, a psychopath has the origin of the disorder still in childhood. As harsh and scary as it may seem, child psychopathy is real The head of Child Psychiatry, Fábio Barbirato, from Santa Casa in Rio de Janeiro, expressed:

"It is not easy for society to accept the evilness of children, but it exists... these children (psychopaths) have no empathy, that is, they don't care about the feelings of others and don't show psychic suffering for what they do. They manipulate, lie, and can even kill without guilt. Most people don't know, but psychopathic children do exist. They don't respect their parents, they blackmail, steal, and lie,manipulate, mistreat siblings and little friends, torture animals and even KILL That's right, they can kill" (The Apprentice, October 2012)

The ABP - Brazilian Association of Psychiatry - did a survey and detected that about 3.4% of children have conduct problems. To make the diagnosis, one observes, for example, cruelty to animals, fighting, stealing, and disrespect. When there is aggression as well, the condition is even more worrisome.

Characteristics of the child with child psychopathy

As an unquestioning narcissist, the selfishness that a child can present as befitting his age fades away, There is a stage when all children seem a little selfish, but in typically developing children it tends to fade away or adjust to the norms as time passes. This is when the child learns and matures.

In the development of the child who manifests the psychopathic personality, there is within him a persistent egocentrism. Thus, he remains inflexible towards others, often appearing as an intimidating leader in his group, because the only goal is to gratify his own interests.

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Read Also: Dark Triad: psychopathy, Machiavellianism and narcissism

Since this can be both a disorder and a relationship problem, it is very delicate to diagnose a child or adolescent. Thus, it is worth asking how to make the correct diagnosis of child psychopathy and identify when a child can be considered dangerous. We discuss this below.

Diagnosis

Relationship history, from birth on, can be the beginning for a diagnosis. In this case, it is important to pay attention to the child's behaviors, such as:

• Crying a lot as a baby;
• Showing tantrums when contradicted;
• Lying and inciting or participating in intrigue frequently;
• Making up stories in a slanderous way;
• Show symptoms of hyperactivity or a love of danger and adventure.

Genetics versus environment

Scientifically speaking, it has not been proven that children are born and are psychopaths. At birth, all genetic makeup is inherited from our parents and ancestors A baby is not born psychopathic, but may have genetic tendencies and predispositions to the disorder, due to the genes that regulate the amount of neurotransmitters responsible for various sensations that are expressed in the brain.

However, it is necessary to keep in mind that no gene acts in a vacuum; it needs to interact with the environment in some way. In this regard, Howard Friedman and Miriam Schustack, authors of the book "Personality Theories" say that "Any gene needs, for there to be so-called adequate expression, certain external circumstances, whether biochemical, physical, or physiological."

So if a child finds himself in a hostile, violent environment, with affective and resource deficiencies, the development of child psychopathy is likely. Problematic environments are a breeding ground for conduct disorder.

Causing Factors in Childhood Psychopathy

Genetics

Neurologist Jorge Moll, coordinator of the Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience Unit of the Labs-D'Or Network, in Rio de Janeiro, disputes the above statement. According to him, "several studies of identical twins growing up in separate environments show that they exhibited the same symptoms of psychopathy" .

However, there are also studies, with identical twins, who were raised in the same family, same place, same culture, same house, but only one exhibited this disorder. The subject is complex from a scientific point of view, but we know that there seems to be a genetic predisposition for the development of the disorder.

Hormones

Another hypothesis is the one that alludes to the role of hormones in the development of child psychopathy, such as testosterone, for example, or the study of abnormalities in brain structures.

Traumas

On the other hand, the importance of the consequences that a childhood full of abuse can have, not to mention the social factor, is also a fashionable theory. According to this perspective, when ethical and moral principles are relaxed, they also foster psychopathic inclination.

With all this to consider, it is possible to state that biological and genetic factors are responsible for the anomalies suffered by psychopaths with regard to their inability to feel empathy. However, we must also look at social factors, such as hostile environment, trauma, and parental actions. All these elements influence the child's behavior.

Some children who suffered from psychopathy in history

Beth Tomas

The most famous case that ended up being made into a movie is the case of Beth, a girl with an angelic face, but who showed extreme traits of a cold and cruel personality. She was adopted in 1984 by a couple who could not have children, together with her brother. Due to the high aggressiveness with which the girl mistreated animals, she also tried to kill her own brother.

In this context, it was discovered that her childhood was traumatic, as her mother died during childbirth and she and her brother were taken care of by their father, who, however, committed several abuses against the children. The girl also tried to kill her parents and said she wanted the whole family to die, because she felt nothing for them. Since she had once been hurt, she would have understood that she should hurt other people too.

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With all the study of the disorder, it became clear that the problem had a direct link to the trauma she suffered in her early childhood. Currently, little is known about her adult life, but there are no reports of her committing any murders, and as far as is known, she lives a normal life today.

Mary Bell

Coming from a totally disfigured home, Mary's mother was a prostitute who tried several times to murder her unwanted daughter. For this reason, she aroused in her daughter hatred and with it coldness. In 1968, at the age of 10, the girl murdered two children aged 3 and 4. Both were found strangled and Mary showed no remorse whatsoever. In this context, the mostThe curious thing is that she had an exact notion of his attitudes.

Her troubled childhood made Mary Bell a violent, cold, and emotionless child. She tortured animals constantly and when she learned to read and write, she painted walls and set fire to objects. Mary Bell was in a psychiatric institution for 11 years. Today she leads a normal life, has her identity protected, but it is known that she is also a mother and grandmother.

Sakakibara Seito

In 1997 in Japan, children were being found dead with brutal features in their murders.

After an 11-year-old student disappeared in front of the gate of the school where he studied, his head was found three days later with a note written inside his mouth that read: " That's the beginning of the game...Police officers stop me if you can...I desperately want to see people die. It's a thrill for me, to murder' '.

A month later, the killer sent a letter to the local newspaper that said: ''I am putting my life at risk for this game.If I am caught, I will probably be hanged.The police should be more tenacious and more furious in my search.It is only when I kill that I am freed from the constant hatred I suffer and can achieve peace.'' On June 28, 1997, the police managed to arrest the suspect at his home.

He was only 14 years old and became known as Kid A. He spent 6 years in a psychiatric hospital and was released.

Ways of assisting the psychopathic child

According to the Penal Code, article 27, in the case of crimes committed by a child, for legal purposes it is something imputable. However, how to proceed in cases where children commit barbaric crimes, heinous, without any feeling or remorse? In an informal interview with the M.M. Judge of Law Thiago Baldani Gomes de Filippo, he answers that in Brazil there are no forms of punishment forchild criminal.

However, there are forms of protection and assistance that are listed in art. 112 of the ECA. When it comes to child psychopathy, the goal of the state is not to punish the child, but to protect and treat the child.

Legal Measures

In cases of homicide or other crimes committed, the provisions of article 101 apply with regard to the psychological monitoring of the child. In cases of offenders older than 12, it is already possible to apply the socio-educational measures provided by law, such as internment at Fundação Casa.

The judge also explains that in countries with stricter laws, such as in some U.S. states, cases of child psychopathy can even be punished with the death penalty. In addition, the minor can be tried as an adult depending on the seriousness of the crime committed.

Treatment

In view of all that we have discussed, you may wonder if there is treatment for child psychopathy. The answer is yes, there is. However, because it is a personality disorder, the possibilities for treatment are limited. Each case must be seen in a unique way, because some are more severe, others are mild, and in general, there is no way to expect a total cure or a radical change in a child's life.

According to Garrido Genovés (2005), the earlier the problem is detected, be it at the age of 8 or 9, the expectations of success increase. By participating in intensive treatment, the child will achieve a reasonable living in society.

Review of what we have seen about child psychopathy

We can observe in this work that children can indeed be psychopaths. In reality, this problem of child psychopathy stems from a personality disorder. To study this delicate issue, several lines of study have emerged. We saw that some point to the genetic factor, showing that a child when born is already genetically predisposed, all that is needed is the environment where he lives for him to beactivated neurons.

However, other studies argue that the major cause is the social factor, the environment in which one lives, childhood traumas, thus building a child with a distorted personality. Therefore, The issue is far from having a conclusion, because the problem of child psychopathy can derive from one cause or the other, or both.

We hope we have made it clear that when there are signs and manifestations of personality disorder in a child, he or she should be constantly monitored by psychiatrists to treat the disorder. This is the only way to mitigate its development.

Final considerations

With the report of some children in recent history directly involved in heinous killings and their satisfaction, we see with great fear the growth, due to the strong violence we live in today, of children who kill, hurt and commit all kinds of crimes. We cannot forget that the psychopath is a narcissist who only cares about himself.

The Penal Code, with the Statute of the Child and Adolescent, places the child as imputable, fitting some protective measures in cases involving child killers, providing ways for them to be assisted in a coherent and professional manner. Treatment is very difficult for someone already in an advanced stage, but not impossible when it is detected early.

In extreme cases, hospitalization and medication are used, in addition to therapy leading the patient to a minimum of coexistence with society. We then consider that child psychopathy (personality disorder) is a real issue and that, the earlier we detect this disorder, the easier it is to treat and accompany the child. This is fundamental so that adults do not commit as many crimesbarbaric acts that the media reports every day.

We hope you enjoyed this article about the psic child opathy To learn how to approach thorny themes of psychoanalytic theory like our student José da Silva, enroll in our course. The training in EAD Clinical Psychoanalysis will make the difference not only in terms of learning, but also of professional evolution.

The original paper was written by the concluinte José da Silva and the rights to it are reserved to the author.