Friday, February 27, 2015

Child Psychopaths: De-Bunking "Criminal Minds"


            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. 

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