Children as young as three can show patterns of behavior that, left unchecked, may later harden into psychopathic traits. That is the conclusion of Professor Essi Viding, a psychologist who has spent years studying how empathy, or the absence of it, takes root in the earliest stages of life.
Psychopathy is not a disorder that suddenly appears in adulthood. Rather, researchers say, it is shaped over time, blending inherited tendencies with lived experience. The hallmarks include a chilling lack of empathy, disregard for others, and, in severe cases, a slide into harmful or criminal behavior.
What Viding and her colleagues have identified are not the usual tantrums or selfish acts seen in preschoolers. Instead, the warning signs cluster around what scientists call “callous-unemotional” traits, often paired with conduct disorder. These children may not flinch when they cause pain, struggle to link actions with consequences, and show little interest in pleasing others.
For instance, if one child hits another and snatches a toy, most three-year-olds feel guilt at the sight of tears. But children with CU traits, Viding noted, remain unmoved. Their reactions to punishment—timeouts, lost privileges—tend to be equally flat, and rewards for kindness seem to carry no special appeal.
Read Also: Israeli Strikes Kill 11 Palestinians, Wound Dozens Across Gaza
Her research, published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, followed twins to tease apart genetics and environment. Identical twins were far more likely to share CU traits than fraternal pairs, pointing to a strong hereditary link. Brain scans added another layer, showing differences in the amygdala, the region that processes emotion.
Yet Viding is careful to stress that genes are not destiny. “No one is born a psychopath,” she said. “What we do know is that certain children are more vulnerable.”
The significance, researchers argue, lies in early recognition. Understanding these red flags does not seal a child’s fate but may give parents and clinicians a window to intervene—helping redirect lives long before harmful patterns become permanent.
