Most
individuals will likely have an answer to the question: “What is a psychopath?”
which has been constructed from tv shows such as Criminal Minds and Law &
Order. The truth is, psychopathology
is a disorder that much of which still remains a diagnostic mystery. Although there exist special tests, such as
the PCL-R, for determining one’s likelihood of expressing the disorder, there
are no 2 cases identical. Child
psychopathology, furthermore, remains an even bigger mystery. The New York Times wrote an article entitled
“Can You Call a 9-year old a Psychopath?” which, although makes several valid
points, discusses cases that outline the problem with the public’s
stereotypical view of psychopaths. James
Fallon, a respected neuroscientist, wrote a book entitled The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain,
in which a man who has lived a “normal” life discovers that his personal brain
imaging is identical clinically to that of a psychopath.
The New
York Times article describes many cases of children expressing symptoms of
psychopathology early in childhood, regardless of parenting strategy. Firstly, this is not entirely correct, as
children can only be diagnosed with Conduct Disorder, which often is a
precursor for Antisocial Personality Disorder later on in life. That being said, the article describes
terrifying children: Michael, age 5, who pushed a child into the deep end of a
pool and calmly watched them drown; Another child, age 9, who cut off the tail
of the family cat as an “experiment”.
The list continues, and these accounts will likely match up with what
you would see on a tv show outlining these terrors of the human race. In other words, when these children exhibit
these behaviors, the public is led to believe that when you see a psychopath,
you’ll know. Since childhood, these
individuals have shown a clear-cut distinction in emotional ability and
disturbing behaviors. This is a
fallacy. Yes, Conduct Disorder is a real
disorder and there are children that exhibit this terrible behavior who grow up
to be dangers to society, psychopathic or not, but this is the groundwork of
all adult psychopaths. Fallon, a
respected neuroscientist and medical professor, points this out as early as
Chapter 2 in his book. He is an
individual that has devoted his time and efforts to studying psychopathology,
and his insight has provided valuable information into the intriguing topic. He lived a normal, even exceptionally well,
life up until college. He was raised
with the help of a loving father, and he was involved in many social activities
and sports, and performed adequately in school.
He is currently happily married as well.
Therefore, it was shocking for him to hold his personal brain scan which
was a close clinical resemblance to that of a psychopath’s. The point Fallon was trying to express, is
that he never set a cat on fire or stabbed his mother with scissors by age 6,
and this is a stereotype surrounding the disorder that the public need to
erase.
The New
York Times article, though it presents some disturbing accounts of abnormal
childhood behaviors, it doesn’t accurately present psychopathology. It is not a disorder that is cut-and-dry, it
requires extensive research from professionals such as Fallon to propose a
narrower view of the disorder through neuroscience.
References:
Kahn, J. (2012) “Can You Call a 9-Year-Old a Psychopath?” The New York Times. Retrieved: February
2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/magazine/can-you-call-a-9-year-old-a-psychopath.html?pagewanted=all
Fallon, J (2014). The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist’s
Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain. Penguin Group.
No comments:
Post a Comment