Signs that a child may become a psychopath in the future begin to appear as early as 3 years old. Sometimes it is the behavior of the parents that leads to the formation of psychopathic tendencies in children. But the problem is that many parents do not pay attention to them or do not consider them to be something significant. It is worth knowing that all children with psychopathic traits have a lot in common. Many serial killers displayed the same behavior in early childhood, but unfortunately, their parents did not notice it in time.
Let's start with Macdonald's triad. These are three signs of child behavior that are very likely to indicate that such children are prone to commit very violent crimes in the future. The triad was created by an American psychiatrist who analyzed the behavior of about 100 criminals.
1. Cruelty to animals
Animal cruelty is one of the most obvious signs of a psychopathic disorder in a child. If you explained to your child that you cannot pull the cat by the tail or pull the dog's leash, he understood this and does not repeat such actions in the future, then you have nothing to worry about. But if the child deliberately tortures the animals or even kills them, then it's time to step in and take action. It turns out that future serial killers express their anger using completely defenseless animals. What's more, they often kill their victims in the same or similar ways as they used to do with animals. The link between animal abuse and psychopathy is so clear that the FBI in the United States even began registering cases of animal abuse in its annual criminal records.
American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who was sentenced to 15 life sentences, was also known for his cruel behavior with animals as a child. In one of the surviving childhood photos, he is holding a kitten by the neck.
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2. Love of arson
Pyromania, or love of various arson, is the second warning for parents. This is another way to express your anger and disobedience.
3. Enuresis
Of course, there is no 100% guarantee that if a child 6 years of age or older wet the bed, then he is a future maniac. However, this disorder often provokes acts of arson, cruelty to animals and many others, as it is humiliating to the child. As a result, he begins to get angry and offended. If the parents do not respond correctly to this problem, or if friends of the child find out about it and begin to bully him, this can cause psychopathic behavior.
For example, Andrei Chikatilo, who became known as the most ruthless serial killer in the Soviet Union, suffered from enuresis. His mother beat him whenever his bed was wet. A little later, he began to enjoy the suffering of other children, which led to terrible tragedies.
In addition to MacDonald's triad, psychologists also mention other signs of psychopathy in children. Parents should definitely pay attention to them, as the line between normal and abnormal behavior is very thin.
4. Violations of the rules
Probably, there is not a single person who, in childhood, would not break his mother's favorite cup or be late for class. When a child finds himself in such a situation, he understands that he needs to either lie or tell the truth, which can lead to punishment. But children with psychopathic traits have their own understanding of breaking the rules: they get joy and adrenaline from it.
The same goes for the adrenaline a child experiences when they steal something. J. K. Rowling described this very well in Harry Potter, recounting Voldemort's childhood. If you remember, Professor Dumbledore found the toys stolen by Tom Redl in his closet. These toys belonged to other children, and in fact they were not needed by the future Dark Lord, he just liked watching someone lose something important.
5. Lies without remorse
If a child is lying because he is afraid that he will be punished, you can understand his unwillingness to tell the truth. But if he lies just to lie, without remorse and with a very confident expression on his face, then this is cause for concern. Maybe there is something wrong with him. It is possible that he likes the process of lying.
Another important thing: when a psychopathic child falls into the trap, he becomes angry or even hysterical, but this is just a form of manipulation. He behaves this way not because he feels guilty, but because his lies have been revealed.
Of course, this child may not be a psychopath, but this behavior is reason enough to see a psychologist.
6. Bullying
Of course, not every bully is a future maniac. Children can become bullies for many reasons: when they want to attract the attention of adults, in particular parents, to gain power over their peers, to be like adults who also use force to resolve conflicts, etc. However, there is one reason to help you identify a bully with psychopathic traits: he humiliates other people simply because he likes it.
7. Insensitivity
Children with psychopathic traits do not show their fear as easily as their peers and are much less likely to experience stress. They also don't know what compassion is. And that's why.
According to Heather Irwin, senior psychologist at READ Clinic, the first year of a child's life is the most important in determining his future psychological health.
“Psychopaths don't come out of thin air. You just need to look at the early years of the baby and find out what happened to him immediately after birth. For example, if a child often cried during the first 6 months of life, but no one took care of him, did not feed him when he was hungry, and did not help, his brain remembered this and realized that feelings did not matter. Other brain structures are formed on the basis of this concept.”
In addition, there is a curious fact: if a child started his life in a good environment, but after 5 years there was some kind of violence in his life, the chances of him becoming a psychopath are much lower, since his consciousness had enough time to form …
This means that parents have a huge responsibility not only for the health of the child, but also for the way he sees the world. If you notice any abnormalities in your child, you should immediately contact a specialist and try to solve the problem with the help of professionals, and not ignore it just because "this cannot happen to your baby."
Anna Pismenna