Can a "normal" kid be a psychopath?

[terry78]

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/kid-psychopath-221400341.html


That is the discussion on Yahoo, some are just born evil.

 

[Lighthouse]

One of the scariest horror movies of the last couple years was "We Need To Talk About Kevin".

 

[WalkingDeadMike]

That documentary they have posted yahoo link is terrifying.

 

[Thundercrack85]

By definition, if you're a psychopath, you're not normal.

But yes, there are people born evil. Or at least, born with a propensity for evil.

Until fairly recently, we called them the ruling class.

 

[Lighthouse]

By definition, if you're a psychopath, you're not normal.

But yes, there are people born evil. Or at least, born with a propensity for evil.

Until fairly recently, we called them the ruling class.

That's the scary thing about psychopaths. Unlike psychotics or insane people, they can fake "normal".

 

[Thundercrack85]

Only for so long. Their very nature means that they will inevitably show their true colors.

I hold that most humans are idiots without principals. A small minority are evil. That small minority can easily manipulate the thoughtless, sheep-like majority. In nature it would seem that the psychopaths rule, which is why for most of our history, we were ruled by them (and most humans still are).

 

[WalkingDeadMike]

By definition, if you're a psychopath, you're not normal.

I was going to say the same thing, but if you look at the link he posted it's obvious what he meant by 'normal' is unabused.

 

[Figs]

By definition, if you're a psychopath, you're not normal.

But yes, there are people born evil. Or at least, born with a propensity for evil.

Until fairly recently, we called them the ruling class.

Reminds me of King Geoffrey from Game of Thrones.

 

[HighFivingMF]

 

[Thundercrack85]

Reminds me of King Geoffrey from Game of Thrones.

He would have made a fine Roman Emperor.

Or a modern day leader of North Korea.

 

[:eek:]

The thing with psychopaths, is they can be anyone. They can be extremely charming and so on. We're living in a world that's very good for psychopaths. They are very good at manipulating to get advantages at work for example. It's tough to tell who's "normal" and who's a psychopath

 

[Quasimod0]

I dont think that people are born as psychopaths. We all have a tendency to lean towards evil though. Thats human nature. We're imperfect. But are we evil psychopath killers from the get-go? No. Everyone has a choice

 

[BlueLightning]

I dont think that people are born as psychopaths. We all have a tendency to lean towards evil though. Thats human nature. We're imperfect. But are we evil psychopath killers from the get-go? No. Everyone has a choice

Yes. I think this way. Even though nurture has a lot of influence in our behavior, it is ultimately ours the choice to be what we want to be.

 

[bullets]

That documentary they have posted yahoo link is terrifying.

It's one of the most disturbing things I've ever watched. I'm glad Beth is doing much better now.

 

[chamber-music]

I do think some people are born with a lack of empathy towards other human beings which could lead them to become a psychopath or sociopath.

 

[Thundercrack85]

No, some people are just born evil. And only get worse as they mature.

 

[Greens]

Brain experts say psychopaths are born that way. Of course their upbringing and environment affect them, but they can't choose to have a lack of empathy.

 

[Anita18]

The Yahoo article doesn't go quite as personal as the NYT article it originates from.

Michael, in the NYT article, frightens his mother and she responds by not giving him as much affection as she does his brothers. It's a nasty cycle, because without the love (that is admittedly very difficult to give, if you truly believe your child hates you), they only get more anti-social.

I have a lot of admiration for doctors who are attempting to treat these children. I believe that some people have a propensity to be wired for psychopathic behavior, but as we keep discovering, the brain is extremely malleable, and is forming new connections all the time. Especially in children.

So even if a psychopath can never become Mother Theresa, if we give them the chance, they can develop the ability to have empathy.

There's just the question of how to approach raising these kinds of children though. I feel very sorry for the parents of Eric Harris and Seung-Hui Cho (the VA Tech shooter), because their childhoods seemed extremely normal and their parents really did the best they could.

 

[Lead Cenobite]

I don't think evil's the right word for a person who's born with a mental disorder.

 

[VictorCreed]

Ask Dexter...

 

[Thundercrack85]

You can do evil without being a psychopath. Being a psychopath just means you literally can not comprehend good.

 

[Lead Cenobite]

I know, but I take issue with the idea that anyone is born evil or that it's their nature and that they're incapable of changing. I think people are too eager to see their horror movie fantasies come true ala Michael Myers.

 

[VictorCreed]

You can do evil without being a psychopath. Being a psychopath just means you literally can not comprehend good.

Oh, psychopaths comprehend it, they just don't care. They're usually big fans at manipulating people with terror. They usually know what theyre doing.

 

[Lead Cenobite]

It all sounds like a witch hunt to me.

 

[Lighthouse]

You can do evil without being a psychopath. Being a psychopath just means you literally can not comprehend good.

Good and evil are moral terms. If you really want to pull out the morality and get strictly scientific about it, it's really about empathy. Psychopaths cannot feel empathy or guilt. I remember the scene in Reservoir Dogs, Blonde tortures a cop listening to "Stuck in the Middle with You". The song selection is creepy because to Blonde, what he's doing is completely casual and fun for him. He feels no empathy for the cop.

I think where the general population gets confused is that not all psychopaths become serial killers or murderers. They often become con artists, social engineers, or corporate leaders because of their abilities to manipulate people.