Can a Child Be a 'Psychopath'?

Well if you know my cousin now.. She still hears those voices.. She's 23 years old.. Now like I said its never to early to TRY help young children..

Almost all studied serial killers have a childhood history of torturing helpless animals. (Bundy is an exception) Thinking about enjoying the torture of a kitten;this question becomes absurd.

If they can diagnose it young, they might be able to help him grow out of it--since psychopaths don't respond well to negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement would have to be used on him. This diagnosis, hopefully, will do some good in the long-run...but it's also important to note that only a very small percentage of psychopaths actually become criminals.

I certainly wouldn't say psychopath to the child's face or within earshot of him/her though. Children suffer enough labeling without adding that to the equation. It would be a very difficult diagnosis to make though. Thank God for GOOD doctors who want to help!!

Isn't that how serial killers start?

Unfortunately Yes, there are some child who are evil, and become worse as they age.
Technically they can't label the child as a psychopath until they reach 18, but the DSMIVR gives the label oppositional/defiant..
calculated charm is a trait of an anti-social personality disorder, hell half of Congress and the president are that. He'll probably be the next John Edwards.

I don't see why not. Psychopathy isn't something that magically switches on when you turn 21.
That being said, I'm wondering if diagnosing someone as a one when they are a kid might cause more harm than good- as some non-psychopaths will be mislabeled, and a true psychopath may be sharp enough to trick people into thinking he's normal.

"These eyes will deceive you. They will destroy you. They will take from you, your innocence... your pride... and eventually your soul. These eyes do not see what you and I see. Behind these eyes, one finds only blackness. The absence of light. These are the eyes of a psychopath."

This is a little girl who looks like she lost her roller skates, or some fcked up adult it playing mind games on.. you cannot tell a psychopath by their eyes.

Certainly. This, no doubt, is how and why the term "bad seed" came about. It might also explain why Obumbo is so screwed up in his thinking and actions.

My thoughts exadtly. Obama it is said was a pathological liar at a very early age. He may not have murdered anyone, but he's ordered it done. Two man who claim to have had a sexual encounter with him ended up mysterously murdered.

Pathological liars are very different from sociopaths or psychopaths. And I do not believe that the President is a pathological liar.

Absolutely, my childhood neighbor, who is also my cousin, was completely sociopathic at the age of four. Some monsters are created, some are born that way.

He obviously knows what he's doing, he's 100% concious, what gives it away is the 'calculated charm'. If I were those parents, I would be getting him some very serious help. But he can fake his way through that, make people BELIEVE he's ridden of his insane thoughts. He's a lot like my dad with his alchoholism.

How utterly terrifying for his parents... and heart breaking. Perhaps though with early diagnosis he can live a normal and productive life. Good on them too, to seek help.

Human behavior, cognitive ability, mood and emotions are strongly affected by brain structure and function. Just as children can be kind or cruel, intelligent or unintelligent, thoughtful or thoughtless, they can also be self-sacrificing or psychopathic.

Should we judge a person's behavior based on the fact that they are born that way? The homosexual community says we should not, and they strongly argue that homosexuals are born that way. So, why should we inhibit one behavior but not another?

first and foremost Homosexuality is a choice. as you are born neither straight or gay.

I happen to know a man on California's death row; I went to school with him as a teenager. Edward Patrick Morgan displayed the same behavior this 9 year old Michael is showing. Morgan raped and bashed a woman's head in with a brick, then sweet talked another woman miles away across county lines into believing he was wrongfully accused of murder. The woman unwittingly aided and abetted him into escaping to Northern California, where he got captured. He would have been the next media headline story, had OJ Simpson not gone on a murderous rage. This boy Michael needs our prayers urgently.

It's quite harsh but some people are just born this way. But it's good, at least it's been diagnosed before he could really hurt anyone.

hmmm...9 votes "no"...must all be psychopaths?

The good news is they found out now, they can switch the emphasis of his education and not rely on his conscience but his self interest.With luck he'll become a rich CEO and commit no violent crimes against people.

I am skeptical of the ability of medical science to produce a desired outcome in most cases. My skepticism greatly increases when the practitioners are cognitive scientists.

Ultimately, the child will do what he intends to do. We can try to influence that decision, but we are more likely only able to inhibit his actions.

I'm also absolutely sick of corporate executives. We don't need people who only look for what they can exploit out of their own country, treating employees as expendable furniture.

well teaching him like Dexters dad did is out of the question

mentally illness or brainwashing, proof, check out terrorists and democrats

I feel awful having a 9 year old labeled a psychopath. But I understand that if there is a pattern that could mean someone who would cause serious harm, I guess its fair to keep an eye on him/her. Maybe the term should be change for something a bit subtler? The kid could lose friends with a condition name like that one.

Mental disease doesn't discriminate by age, or by anything else.

Yes, absolutely they can be. It doesn't suddenly develop at a certain age, but rather begins at a very young age.

jail him now

Of course.

Not just yes...Heck yes!

I don't know the whole story but they are finding out that psycopaths like the Green River Killer or Ted Bundy could have been diagnosed when they were children. The problem is that once they are diagnosed what are you going to do with the child? So far as I have read and know the condition is not curable.

They are not curable but they can be trained to spot their psychopathic behaviors and modify their urges. Most Wall Street Banksters are psychopathic, as are many professional soldiers, black ops, special forces, FBI, CIA, etc.

Look at the people who tortured the inmates at Guantanamo. A lot of policemen are nothing but sociopaths who have harnessed their ways into useful service to society.

I agree. And the problem should be identified early and maybe their behavior could be modified in some way . The bigger problem is that families need to know the truth about their family members but are shocked and unhappy when the diagnosis is bad.
Better to deal with the problem and hope that they can "harness their ways into useful service to society."

Studies conducted by Canadian forensic psychologist Robert Hare indicate that about 1 percent of the general population can be categorized as psychopathic, but the prevalence rate in the financial services industry is 10 percent. And Christopher Bayer believes, based on his experience, that the rate is higher.

Bayer is a well-known psychologist who provides therapy to Wall Street traders.

The type of psychopath the author is writing about is characterized by compulsive gambling. And the Wall Street psychopath doesn’t necessarily show up to his or her first day of work in this condition. From the article:

These “financial psychopaths” generally lack empathy and interest in what other people feel or think. At the same time, they display an abundance of charm, charisma, intelligence, credentials, an unparalleled capacity for lying, fabrication, and manipulation, and a drive for thrill seeking.

A financial psychopath can present as a perfect well-rounded job candidate, CEO, manager, co-worker, and team member because their destructive characteristics are practically invisible. They flourish in fast-paced industries and are experts in taking advantage of company systems and processes as well as exploiting communication weaknesses and promoting interpersonal conflicts.

Sounds like the movie, WALL STREET with Michael Douglas. All I can say is that thank goodness they are different kind of predators. And it tells me that there are many variations of sociopath or psycopath. The serious problem is maybe to diagnose the problems early and provide services. That sounds like Utopia because this would be such an expensive program. Plus many parents are reluctant to hear that kind of a diagnosis early on. It only gets attention when they become older in jr high school or beyond because some of them act out in really bad ways.

Definitely. It's been proven time and time again. Kids can be sociopaths and psychopaths (same thing).

Please show us the verifiable, scientific evidence!
But before you do that, please explain exactly, what a "psychopath" is and show us the scientific evidence that supports the "concept"

Why should I? You have access to Google correct? Go find it. I don't do research for others.