Sociopaths and evil

[debraran]

Why do Sociopath’s exist? There are some people that turn bad, abused as kids, many other factors, but others, are born, it seems that way. From the time they were little, they were abusive,killed animals, had no empathy. I remember one child in daycare that scared me, he seemed to have no conscience and was in a psychiatrists care, but they say, usually it’s hopeless. (they don’t use the word sociopath until after 18 I think)
Why would this happen, why would God let a child be born with no empathy…having a child scarred by events is different, but a nice family with an "odd’ child is scary. I know it’s rare, but it does exist, ask anyone in law enforcement/FBI (like my husband!)
Any thoughts?

 

[Just_Lurking]

they don’t use the word sociopath until after 18 I think

They don’t really use the word sociopath at all. It’s Antisocial Personality Disorder, which as you thought is only diagnosed after age 18. Prior to age 18, it’s usually Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

 

[JRKH]

Who knows for sure why God allows certain things to exist or to occur. We can only try to accept His wisdom and to use any adversity to strengthen our Love fro Him and neighbor.

It may be that a child such as you mention is born with a “birth defect” same as any other rare defect.
It may be that God has placed such a child/person in our lives to challenge us to see Him even in such a one as this.
It may be that such a child needs, even more, to see Christian Love consistantly in action at an early age.
It may be that later on science might come up with a drug to help correct the chemical imbalance (if one exists) and allow such a one to properly aquire and process empathy etc.

As I say it is difficult to know - But one must never give up hope, never stop praying for such a one, for just as God might allow such a defect, He may cure such a one through our Love.

peace
James

 

[debraran]

It is scary to see how much they love to hurt and feel nothing. My husband said you can’t relate to them as you would your neighbor, although some are cunning and learn to infiltrate by copying behavior, the core isn’t there.
So many deaths, so many tortured people including children and animals, it’s one of the questions I don’t feel will ever be answered on earth. We create some, but the ones we don’t create, seem almost spawned by the devil himself. And the poor parents, some cover for them for so long because deep down they know, no punishment, no “God camp” as some have done, no amount of love, changes anything.
Pedophiles are different, but also not a “curable” thing.

I guess as a mom, my wanting to keep a “bubble” around my kids is natural, but you can’t protect them from the world, only pray they will stay safe.

 

[Ne_OrangeKnight]

It may be that later on science might come up with a drug to help correct the chemical imbalance (if one exists) and allow such a one to properly aquire and process empathy etc.

Isn’t that pretty much the plot of A Clockwork Orange?

Sam, the Neon Orange Knight

 

[JRKH]

Isn’t that pretty much the plot of A Clockwork Orange?

Sam, the Neon Orange Knight

I dunno

Peace
James

 

[donanobis]

It is scary to see how much they love to hurt and feel nothing. My husband said you can’t relate to them as you would your neighbor, although some are cunning and learn to infiltrate by copying behavior, the core isn’t there.
So many deaths, so many tortured people including children and animals, it’s one of the questions I don’t feel will ever be answered on earth. We create some, but the ones we don’t create, seem almost spawned by the devil himself. And the poor parents, some cover for them for so long because deep down they know, no punishment, no “God camp” as some have done, no amount of love, changes anything.
Pedophiles are different, but also not a “curable” thing.

I guess as a mom, my wanting to keep a “bubble” around my kids is natural, but you can’t protect them from the world, only pray they will stay safe.

Great post! I’m a mom/grandmom too and we can only pray and hope our kids will stay safe. We must always be guilty of ‘watchful neglect’ (Ever alert and watchful but not tediously micro-managing).

I have been reading a lot of the works of *Temple Grandin, a 60+ autistic woman. She outlines what a wonderful, yet sometimes wayward, instrument the brain is. In her particular frame of autism, her brain is wired visual, so that is how she perceives the world. She goes on to explain the different ways the brain is ‘wired’ to produce different types of autism or aspergers syndome. Dyslexia is another case in point and perhaps even schizophrenia.

Perhaps, (or obviously,) a sociopath (I still think psychopath is a more appropriate term but the APA doesn’t-who am I to argue? see the DSM-V) is wired differently or is missing a chemical in the brain. In psyche we labeled these types as having a ‘swiss-cheese’ super ego.

I agree with you that it does seem as though the spiritual 'core’ isn’t there.

However,* Where There is Life, There is Hope*. Medical science, especially in conjunction with psychiatry, seems to be in its infancy, although it thinks it is all grown up. The answers are out there when our scientists can learn to have less individual expertise driven by their core organizations and pharmaceuticals and more *co-operative *collegiality among all the specialties, including psychiatry and its outgrowths such as criminal forensics.

*Amazon or your local library

dona

 

[debraran]

“However,* Where There is Life, There is Hope*. Medical science, especially in conjunction with psychiatry, seems to be in its infancy, although it thinks it is all grown up. The answers are out there when our scientists can learn to have less individual expertise driven by their core organizations and pharmaceuticals and more *co-operative *collegiality among all the specialties, including psychiatry and its outgrowths such as criminal forensics.”

I agree, it’s scary, and I think if more worked together, more would understand. To just feel evil, no empathy is a hell onto itself.

The ones we do have hope for, are the ones that are made by society or bad parents…the abused, the sexually, physically and emotionally abused children. They grow up without love, without firm boundries, no real right or wrong, just surviving. They don’t have much of a chance, we pity them, but don’t want the results living or working near us…how sad, to never know God or anyone who really cares. Even if we didn’t do it personally, we do reap what we sow, as a society.

 

[Kivech]

…I agree with you that it does seem as though the spiritual 'core’ isn’t there…

Even though I understand what you are saying and I can understand your emotions about this, I doubt this is how it works in reality.

Anything living in this world comes from God, no matter how it “seems” to us. As such, it by definition has a soul and a spirit. Granted, at times they might hide it well due to the way in which they chose to enter this world, but anything without soul and/or spirit would not be able to live.

Remember, the spark of God is in us all. It is up to us to let it shine or hide it. This does not change how God sees us though. After all, we are all His children.
Twisted maybe, at times, but we remain His children.

I prefer to look at all these phenomena as those souls that kind of got ‘lost’ badly. Which means they always have the opportunity to be saved.

On the other hand, who are we to try to understand the purpose behind things if we don’t hear God’s voice. Until then I guess it is better to leave it up to Him to decide what makes sense in what fashion and pray for understanding, instead of trying to reason about something that sounds acceptable to us.

 

[Nowhere_Man]

Isn’t that pretty much the plot of A Clockwork Orange?

Sam, the Neon Orange Knight

Not really. In “A Clockwork Orange” they try and suppress all anger and sexual feelings through something called “the Ludovico technique”, which is a form of aversion therapy that involves the patient being forced to watch violent images for long periods of time, while under the effect of drugs that cause a near death experience.