Born Evil?

Born Evil?

Pair-Share

Is it possible for a child to be born evil?

I’m going to show you some images.

When you see them, think about how they make you feel.

Mirror Neurons:

Brain cells that respond equally when we personally experience something and when we witness someone else experience the same thing.

Mirror neurons are important for understanding the actions of other people: they allow us to empathize (to feel what others

are feeling).

Video - Mirror Neurons

PsychopathyA personality disorder in which a person shows a lack of

remorse and empathy. Also known as anti-social personality disorder, psychopathy is characterized by lack of a conscience: a psychopath may understand society’s definition of right and wrong, but they either don’t care,

or don’t understand why they need to conform to it.

Mirror Neurons

Normally, when we see someone in pain, we empathize because our mirror neurons fire, causing us to understand

the feeling of pain, and perhaps feel pain ourselves.

Psychopathy

Fewer regions in the brain become active when a psychopath sees someone in pain, demonstrating that mirror neurons

are not as functional.

PsychopathySigns someone might be a psychopath:- They are charming, and good at

pretending to be a normal and likeable person

- They think they are better than others and have an inflated image of their own greatness

- They are good at manipulating others

- They frequently lie- They do not show any emotions or

sympathy for others- They are reckless and fearless

Psychopathy Facts:1% of the human population has the personality disorder known as psychopathy. That means out

of every 100 people you’ve met in your life, one of them was a psychopath!

Men are three times more likely to be psychopaths than women.

15-25% of all prisoners in jail are psychopaths.

The profession with the highest number of psychopaths is company CEO/top executive. Psychopaths also make

good lawyers, surgeons, and politicians.

SociopathyThe terms psychopath and sociopath mean roughly the same thing. The word “sociopath” was created to refer

to someone whose immoral behavior is learned (a product of the environment) rather than someone

whose immoral behavior is due to their nature (biology). The term has fallen out of use by psychologists.

Sorry Sherlock, A psychopath and a sociopath are the same thing…And you just made up the term “high-

functioning sociopath.”

Psychopathy Facts:

How does someone “become” a psychopath?

Brain damageBorn with

abnormalities in the brain

Psychopathy Facts:Symptoms of psychopathy can be present in

individuals with brain damage:

1966: Charles Whitman was a 25-year-old engineering student and former Marine who killed 17 people and wounded 32 in a mass shooting at the University of Texas, before being shot and killed himself by police.

Earlier that day, he also murdered his wife and mother. An autopsy was conducted and investigators found a tumor pressing against his amygdala, the small region

of the brain that controls emotion.

Structural Brain AbnormalitiesAny brain abnormalities that are not caused by brain damage: these abnormalities are due to the brain not

developing in the normal way after the individual is born.

Examples: 1. Smaller or larger

sections of the brain2. Uneven blood flow

in the brain3. Too much or too

little grey matter4. Little to no activity

in mirror neurons



Many psychopaths have a smaller prefrontal cortex or amygdala.



When shown images that usually create an emotional response in people, the psychopathic brain does not

respond with as much neural activity.



Many schizophrenics have enlarged

ventricles (a fluid-filled cavity) in

the brain.

Causes of Structural Brain Abnormalities

Structural brain abnormalities are a type of birth defect. Birth defects can be caused by the following things:

1. Errors in the gene inheriting process: a baby can be born with too few or too many chromosomes, or with a damaged chromosome.

2. Inherited diseases: birth defects like hemophilia and dwarfism are passed on genetically.

3. Alcohol or drug use by the mother

4. Diet & overall health of the mother

5. Exposure of the mother to dangerous chemicals/toxins/radiation

Education

Born Evil?