Linking child behavioral traits to psychopaths is often done in retrospect. In other words, one might analyze the previous adolescent behavior of a psychopathic adult, but because their end result is already known, the traits are viewed to prove this known psychological state, and thus the conclusions drawn are not entirely accurate (Krauss). However, psychopathic traits still can--and should--be noted in present day children.

The widely accepted definition of psychopathy today is based on researcher Robert D. Hare’s “two-factor model.” The first of the two factors said to make up a psychopath is “a shallow affect, superficial charm, manipulativeness, and lack of empathy.” The second is “the inability to show remorse and the behaviors associated with the socially deviant lifestyle of impulsiveness and criminality” (Krauss).

“Callous Unemotional” traits in children, are an indicator of pre-psychopathic behavior that entails minimal levels of empathy, remorse, and “a general lack of feeling towards others” (Krauss). Such traits may distinguish “fledgling psychopaths” from those with more common “conduct disorder,” which includes disobedience and untameable hyperactivity--the CU versus CD distinction (Kahn). Some psychologists believe that while a standard test for psychopathy in children does not exist currently, “psychopathy, like autism, is a distinct neurological condition — one that can be identified in children as young as five” (Kahn).

Other psychologists argue though, that unlike autism, a diagnosis of psychopathy is incredibly isolating, as “no one is sympathetic to the mother of a psychopath” (Kahn). Such psychologists believe that because children and young adults’ brains are still developing, diagnosing them with such a damaging disorder is counterproductive (Brian).

However, more and more studies suggest that psychopathy may be both innate and identifiable as early as age three. An experiment was done in which 731 children were observed from age two to nine-and-a-half. During this time frame, researchers asked the parents and teachers of each child to rate his or her “Deceitful-Callous (DC) behavior,” which assessed a lack of feelings for others and an inclination to lie (Kahn). Seeking to isolate personality from behavior, the children were analyzed based on their lack of guilt after misbehaving, tendency to lie or sneak around, unwillingness to share, and indifference to punishment; common indicators of this behavior included frequent fights with other children, tantrums, and destruction of toys and belongings. “The findings revealed that by age three, toddlers who were rated high on the DC scale developed into children with significant behavior problems” (Kahn). The research also found that “The mothers' DC ratings of their two-year-olds were enough to predict later behavior problems” (Kahn). Although a certain misbehavior is common among two-year-olds and toddlers, the study shows the potential danger that ensues when such habits are not outgrown.

From snipping the tail of a cat little by little each day, so the torture could go undetected by parents, to pushing a toddler into the deep end of a pool and pulling out a chair to watch out of curiosity, the accounts and characteristics of more obvious psychopathic children are chilling (Kahn). However, because exhibited at such a young age, these traits may be corrected, as research shows that a child’s environment, which includes “parental characteristics, attitudes, caregiving practices, and the broader family ecology,” is critical to shaping development (Krauss).

Ultimately, hope remains that a certain empathy, no matter how small, exists in everyone. Children--and brains--are malleable, and the responsibility rests on the families, teachers, and classmates of these children to nurture and grow the seeds of empathy.

Bibliography:

Alexander, Brian. “Budding Psychopaths? Study Hints Traits May Be Seen in Kids' Brains.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 2 May 2013, www.nbcnews.com/healthmain/budding-psychopaths-study-hints-traits-may-be-seen-kids-brains-6C9742531.

Colins, Olivier F et al. “A New Measure to Assess Psychopathic Personality in Children: The Child Problematic Traits Inventory” Journal of psychopathology and behavioral assessment vol. 36,1 (2013): 4-21.

Kahn, Jennifer. “Can You Call a 9-Year-Old a Psychopath?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 May 2012, www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/magazine/can-you-call-a-9-year-old-a-psychopath.html

Whitbourne, Susan Krauss. “Can We Identify Psychopathy in a Young Child?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 2016, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201611/can-we-identify-psychopathy-in-young-child.