Understanding Troubling Child Behavior
Recently, while out for an early morning walk, I overheard a friend discussing the chaos caused by a “problem child” at the after-school club where her son, Jake*, attends. Jake has known Beth* for a few years, having been in the same nursery together. Even back then, at the tender age of four, Beth exhibited frighteningly violent behavior—screaming, hitting, and biting. It wasn’t uncommon for Jake and his classmates to come home with bruises. Strangely enough, Beth didn’t seem upset about her actions, nor did she care if she got in trouble. There was one incident where she punched a classmate and then smirked at the adults as if challenging them: “What are you going to do about it?”
Both Beth’s parents and the nursery staff seemed unsure how to handle her behavior. Unfortunately, the situation only escalated. Not long before my chat with my friend, Beth had become so aggressive that the after-school coordinators had to give her access to the entire gymnasium, isolating other children in a nearby library just to keep them safe.
My friend had sent numerous polite emails, urging the staff to manage Beth’s behavior more effectively, but nothing changed. She quoted a response she received: “The child’s actions are not okay,” but there was no follow-up plan. Frustrated, she considered pushing to have Beth removed from the club but first wanted to discuss it with me. Given my background in social and personality psychology, specifically studying individuals with dark personality traits—like psychopathy and narcissism—she sought my opinion on what she should do next.
Even though my research primarily focuses on adults, I know these traits don’t just emerge during adulthood. Personalities can evolve, but many still recognize certain aspects of their character that may have shown up in childhood.
Research suggests we can identify “callous-unemotional (CU) traits” in children as young as two. Screening questions often ask caregivers if the child appears emotionless, indifferent to hurting others for personal gain, and unperturbed by consequences. These traits, like other personality traits, exist along a spectrum, and where someone falls on that spectrum can have implications. High CU traits in childhood can correlate with higher levels of psychopathy later in life.
The term “psychopath” carries a lot of baggage. It usually brings to mind images of notorious criminals, like Ted Bundy, and the misconception that such a condition is untreatable. Labeling children with this term could have detrimental effects. Consequently, psychologists tend to avoid using “psychopathy” to describe children, even though the behavior patterns can’t be overlooked.
There are recognized mental disorders that encapsulate similar behaviors. For instance, “conduct disorder” is characterized by a pattern of aggression, deceit, and violation of rules. While CU traits alone don’t suffice for a conduct disorder diagnosis, it’s noted that a child with this disorder may display “limited prosocial emotions”—essentially a clinical way of recognizing a lack of empathy. While this language may make such behaviors seem less severe, that’s misleading. For example, this was the diagnosis given to Scarlett Jenkinson, one of the teenage perpetrators involved in the murder case of transsexual teenager Brianna Ghey, as stated by a forensic psychiatrist during the trial.
