Is a Bad Childhood an Excuse?!

Hmm... it depends.
I had a really rough childhood but I turned out fine. I suppose, though, people's psyches are different and altered in a variety of ways after traumatic incidences.
Some people gets stronger after a bad childhood... other's can't take it and give in to bed influences.

Thigpen & Cleckley's case study of Eve springs to mind as her MPD was caused by a childhood trauma. That was a large part of my exam yesterday

Good luck with that; let me know how it goes...


I didn't realize his lawyer had written a book; just did a google about it,...seems the guy was creeped out for years, so much so that he couldn't write about it until now.
Apparently, "Bundy knew he was evil. Really evil." - Sociopaths they say, will not admit to such a thing.

Dunno if I'd actually buy the book or not..but I am interested. Apparently, Bundy spoke to his lawyer of things never before known publicly; he signed a release just before his execution giving the lawyer rights to release the information after his death.

https://www.q13fox.com/news/politics/CRsTake/kcpq-bundys-lawyer-he-killed-over-100-women--and-a-man-20120523,0,4185214.story

Sociopaths may be aware but just do not care at all- they get more delight from knowing the pain they inflict. Whereas psychoaths lack empathy but do have some- in so far as they are able to identify what others feel in order to use it against them. Marginally less evil than sociopaths who are the worst type. Of course, not all psychopathy is bad- successful people are frequently psychopaths becuase they are so driven. I know a borderline psychopath but seriosuly is the loveliest guy you could meet (I stress hes not a killer!)

That book looks good to me, I would like to have a read of it, see the truth. I will compare him with Dahmer- that fits well with the boilogical approach. Does it make me a little bit sick to like all this stuff?!

Very interesting...


Be careful please, with the psychopath?
"Lovely" is what they do best.

Well it shaped who they are and acted as a factor to what they do.

But its not an excuse, but for people to not reconise it helped cause what "went wrong" with them is just blind.

Yes that is true- he teaches over half of my subjects to me so I see him a fair bit his score on the psychopathy checklist is due to the fact he is dyspraxic an ADHD so struggles to keep his attention focused enough to 'do' empathy. He is not a dangerous type of psychopath, just the successfully driven type- much like rupert murdoch or alan sugar. The type who would sell their own gran to get what they want to be successful

I didn't get the bike I wanted when I was 8, left me bitter, twisted and angry.

Okay, gottcha! Big relief and quite a difference....yeah, the thought of a psycho teaching a class about psychopathy was a bit unsettling, to say the least.

yeah its a good cover though! Hopefully that borderline psycho might have helped me to get a good grade. First exam I would say was my best- last was difficultg but I have to hope I get my predicted A!

yes.

You guys still call it MPD over there? It's Dissociative Identity Disorder here.

yes, this, and in addition, there are different kinds of childhood trauma, different degrees of childhood trauma, different protective factors for different kids. There are a lot of variables.

wow, realizing the difference in terminology between there and here. lol.

Psychopath and sociopath are used but the general public interchangeably here, but not typically used by a professional unless in a criminal case.

Borderline would be "borderline personality disorder" here, and not at all equivalent with psychopath or sociopath, although a person with borderline personality disorder could be a sociopath as well. In fact, many think that borderline personality disorder and anti-social personality disorder are the same thing except male and female versions.

Anti-social personality disorder is what would be referred to as a sociopath here. Psychopath truly is not a term typically used here at all. If anything, it would be a person with one of the psychotic disorders.

Either term is highly stigmatizing though. I don't care for them except in the cases of the most heinous crimes.

That's a good question.

But it's too bad that problems for children don't mean anything until a grisly crime occurs, when it in fact knocks the entire human existence off it's axis. The point of life from a misaligned perspective then becomes focused on how well we can handle the pressure rather than how well we can correct the problems.

And when we crack, the question then becomes should a bad childhood be considered.

But in my opinion, a bad childhood should be considered but it never is.

And by being considered I don't necessarily mean in terms of deciding on the fate of a criminal, but considered in general in focus on how we see things. To focus on child rearing on general principal, not just when a crime occurs, can help us to put an end to bad childhoods.

I'm saying that our lives shouldn't be based on how much we can or should take, but on how we can correct whatever is wrong.

Yes but only on a case by case.

Here is a good one to think about.

T. J. Lane the Shooter in the Chardon Ohio high school killings.

1. His birth parents has a very violent marriage.he saw this.Drugs and booze were involved.

2. He was abused as a child.
3. His birth parents abandoned him.
4. he then went to his Grand parents after being bounced around.
5. He then started to have and make trouble in school.
6.His grand parents took him to mental health people of all kinds.
7. he became involved with the juvenile courts.
8. The courts order him into more counseling which he did.
9. More problems at school now he goes by court order to a very special school for violent kids LOts of different mental health people are there with all kinds of supposed help for him.
10.2 months before the shooting on faceboook he starts to talking about death and killing people.His was a public page anyone could see it.
11. This is an area of Ohio where hunting is big. His Grand parents removed guns from their house an uncle of TJ's did not . Thought it was ok to keep guns around his house Wrong.
12. TJ rides a bus to what would have been his "normal" school then takes another bus to the special school.
13 Some of the kids that I know from here said TJ had three things go wrong the week before this happen
bad drug deal
teasing by the other kids on the bus and at Chardon high school before he got on his bus to his school.
Broke up with girlfriend
yes all three of these are hear say but is there some truth to it?


TJ is being tried as an adult although 17

Could we have stop this terrible thing from happening.