Psychological Disorders, Chapter 14 ( Book Psychology in Your Life, Third Edition, Grison & Gazzaniga)
Question
Paper detalis:
1. Pros and cons of providing children who score highly on the Psychopathy checklist-Youth version(PCL-YV) with counseling as a preventive measure, regardless of whether they have committed a crime. Should the PCL-YV be administered to all schoolchildren at regular intervals?
2. Personality traits tend to stay relatively stable over time and across situations. Discuss the possibility of psychopathic tendencies in children and adolescents remaining though adulthood and resulting in criminal activity.


Solution
Psychological Disorders
Question 1
Counseling as a
preventive measure for children does not result in any beneficial effects on
the incidence of violent and other antisocial behavior. But counseling and
other interventions may be effective when applied to young offenders who have
committed crimes but do not score highly on the PCL-YV. The PCL-YV is designed
primarily as an instrument for use with high-risk populations such as young
offenders and other criminals. The PCL-YV may thus be a valuable tool for
identifying youths at risk of chronic offending from an early age. But the
problem with this strategy is the lack of evidence concerning its
effectiveness, and the fact that it risks stigmatizing children who are not yet
known to have committed any crimes (Grison and Gazzaniga 157). Therefore, if
the primary purpose of using the PCL-YV is to identify prospective offenders,
then the argument favoring the method must be based on specificity. That is
based on the fact that all people who commit severe crimes have high scores on
the measurements. However, the youths can be differentiated from other
high-risk groups, like individuals who are psychiatrically disturbed.
Question
2
Many factors explain
psychopathic behavior in both children and adolescents, which can continue
through adulthood and contribute to criminal activities. That is well explained
by the fact that individual traits tend to remain constant at all times and in
different circumstances. In addition, the behavior of children and adolescents
has always been of interest to the public. Therefore, it is no surprise that
children are described as “immoral, cruel, and malicious” (Grison and Gazzaniga
23). However, some children exhibit behaviors that may be described as
psychopathic. This term is used to describe individuals who display a pattern
of antisocial behaviors, including lying, stealing, and physical violence
without empathy. These characteristics may affect an individual into adulthood,
resulting in criminal activity later on in life. Many theorists believe that
these tendencies may stem from childhood experiences as well as biological
factors.
Some theorists believe
that psychopathic children may have been born with a specific gene that
predisposes them to antisocial behavior. This genetic theory explains why some
children display these tendencies from birth and continue to do so throughout
their life, whereas others do not develop the disorder. However, many
researchers have argued against this idea based on the results of studies that
show no significant difference between adopted-away offspring of affected
parents and those who live with their biological parents. Therefore, it seems
unlikely that psychopaths are born with this disorder; rather, it seems to
develop throughout childhood due to early experiences or environmental factors.
Moreover, psychopathic traits are linked with a history of physical, emotional,
or sexual abuse during childhood (Grison and Gazzaniga 13). Some researchers
believe that children who have been maltreated from an early age develop
psychopathic tendencies to cope with the distress they experience. In this
sense, these children have a degree of maladaptation, leading to the
development of these behaviors. Socioeconomic status and poor parenting have
some connection with psychopathic tendencies. This idea is supported by
evidence that suggests that offenders are more likely to have grown up in
poverty-stricken areas and experienced problems with parents or guardians. In
addition, the poor quality of parenting may be due to the lack of empathy shown
by the parent towards their child, which could produce similar effects (Grison
and Gazzaniga 16). However, it has also been argued that this is not a direct
cause. Individuals who display these tendencies are more likely to engage in
criminal activity because they believe themselves as invincible or immune from
punishment.
Works Cited
Grison,
Sarah, and Michael S. Gazzaniga. Psychology
in Your Life.Third edition (July 1, 2019)




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