Identifying Psychopathic Traits in Children

Psychopathy in adults has been studied and observed from the time Cleckley began to identify characteristics of the disorder in his text, The Mask of Sanity (1941). Recently, investigations have been launched into the possibility of identifying psychopathic traits in children. Although controversy exists regarding the labeling of youth, identifying and intervening with these children may prevent the development of full-blown psychopathy in adulthood. A literature review was conducted, in order to examine childhood psychopathic traits in relation to affective, interpersonal, and behavioral factors, empathy processing, and current assessment measures. In addition, environmental components and neurological research were also reviewed. Because of the strong relationship between psychopathy and criminal activity, a study was conducted using a sample of currently incarcerated individuals, to determine the presence of elevated psychopathic traits in childhood. The Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) was administered to parents or guardians of 20 individuals from a jail sample, and 20 similar individuals from a control group, to gain a retrospective impression of childhood traits related to psychopathy. In addition, age of first incarceration and higher levels of psychopathic traits were investigated. Results determined that currently incarcerated individuals did not display elevated levels of psychopathic traits as children. In addition, there appeared to be no correlation between age of first incarceration and higher prevalence of psychopathic traits in children.