Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiteRose1912
I personally consider psychopathy to be a personality disorder.
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First of all, MANY prayers of peace to these families and healing to that poor little girl. I can't imagine walking into the woods with my friends and having that happen.
Second, Phil's right in that research is constantly updating with these terms and descriptions. AFAIK "psychopathy" is an outdated term but the description you posted is the accurate definition of antisocial personality disorder (which makes your above statement correct). It is true that these person's lack affective empathy but that does not change their cognitive ability to know right from wrong or know when they are causing suffering.
Sidebar: I met one patient with this disorder while working inpatient and it was terrifying because of how smooth he was in his manipulation. He was polite, soft-spoken, and charming--you would have never guessed he was capable of the crimes he committed against his wife. To this day, I get creeped out thinking about him.
/sidebar
That being said, a 12yo can't be diagnosed with a personality disorder. Even if these personality traits are present early on, they wouldn't be the cause for these actions. The girls (presumably) know right from wrong and legal from illegal. I'm not sure how I feel about charging them as adults but...planning this since February? That is more than "mental illness" or being "just kids." That is a combination of both plus more than I can even imagine. And since that article linked to another about a 14yo who stabbed her little sister, I'm thoroughly disturbed.