Child Maltreatment and Psychopathy

This chapter reviews contemporary research on the relationship between childhood psychological trauma and psychopathy, and discusses how findings of the research may help clinicians, researchers, and forensic professionals to better understand the development of psychopathic personalities. Child abuse and neglect can be conceived as significant risk factors that increase the likelihood of a more severe expression of psychopathic traits among vulnerable individuals. In this respect, some conjectures can be made on the developmental pathways that may foster psychopathy among traumatized children. Childhood victimization in the family is often associated with other psychosocial risks such as being exposed to violence and negative role models in the community during childhood. Finally, the chapter contends that child maltreatment might or might not play a critical role in the development of psychopathy, depending on the temperamental and other inborn characteristics of a specific individual.