This week a reader asked about a disorder called ODD and its relationship to sociopathy. ODD or oppositional defiant disorder is a childhood disorder. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists:
In children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), there is an ongoing pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that seriously interferes with the youngster’s day to day functioning. Symptoms of ODD may include:
• Frequent temper tantrums
• Excessive arguing with adults
• Often questioning rules
• Active defiance and refusal to comply with adult requests and rules
• Deliberate attempts to annoy or upset people
• Blaming others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior
• Often being touchy or easily annoyed by others
• Frequent anger and resentment
• Mean and hateful talking when upset
• Spiteful attitude and revenge seeking
I interpret these symptoms as evidence for excessive social dominance motives combined with problems with ability to love in a child/teen. Social dominance motives cause these children to dislike authority and to attempt to control others (both children and adults) by annoying and upsetting them (teasing too). Recent studies have shown that hormones connected to social dominance motives may play a role in ODD (higher androgens and lower cortisol)*.
A major developmental task for humans is to learn to love. That learning begins immediately at birth. A very elegant series of studies by Patricia Hawley Ph.D. and others has demonstrated that Social Dominance motives begin later, in the toddler years.
During childhood the social motives for love and power have to integrate and balance each other. A loving peaceful family life is central to this integration. Also the power motive must be shaped. This shaping of the power motive has two aspects to it. First children learn the best prosocial ways to enjoy power. They learn to restrain their aggressive and sadistic impulses. In children with ODD and CD (the precursors to antisocial personality in adulthood) this learning doesn’t happen.
Children also learn to channel some of their power motives in to achievement motivation. Disinterest for achievement and disinterest in school are linked to antisocial behavior in children and teens because absent achievement dominance motives lack appropriate channels for expression.
ODD is often connected to CD (conduct disorder) and ADHD, but may also occur without these other disorders. Many studies have examined the extent to which ODD is genetic and environmentally determined. Both genes and environment interact to cause ODD.
In a paper that is now 11 years old Distinct Contributions of Conduct and Oppositional Defiant Symptoms to Adult Antisocial Behavior : Evidence From an Adoption Study Douglas R. Langbehn, MD, PhD and colleagues presented their study of 197 adopted children a quarter of whom had a biologic parent with sociopathy. They concluded:
It seems plausible that a genetically transmitted liability to sociopathy might manifest earlier in life as the personality-like symptoms of ODD rather than the behaviorally oriented criteria for conduct disorder. After all, it is difficult to conceive of a gene for stealing cars. On the other hand, genetic influences on temperament leading to typical ODD features do not seem so far-fetched.
They also stated that independent of the antisocial behavior seen in CD, the behavior that manifests as ODD is an independent risk factor for adult sociopathy:
STUDIES SUCH as that by Loeber et al, which found that severe childhood conduct disorder is often preceded by ODD, suggest the hypothesis that ODD may only be a risk factor for sociopathy if it is a predecessor to a conduct syndrome. This idea is not supported by our data, because the ODD component was found to be an independent risk factor. Furthermore, examination of the joint distribution of estimated component scores in males (not shown) demonstrated that many adoptees had elevations in the ODD component only.
It is important for parents to realize that not every child with ODD or even CD becomes an adult sociopath. Parenting can make a difference for a substantial percentage of children. Even the most loving and devoted parents should get professional help with their ODD/CD kids.
Professional help is needed because these kids are so hard on parents and the development of parental resentment and negativity is linked to a bad prognosis for these kids (though the chicken and egg here have not been determined). Parents should be realistic, protect themselves and yet try to stay hopeful and positive. They should be loving and yet set firm limits. They should also spend lots of quality time with their kids and supervise them closely. These are exceedingly difficult tasks to accomplish!
You might be wondering why I haven’t commented on the proposed DSM V revision of antisocial personality. Since we want everyone to give us their unbiased, independent reactions, I am not going to comment until we close the survey. Please complete the survey so we can send the strongest possible message to the DSM committee. These criteria will be very important in legal procedings and in public education.
* I have posted the summaries of articles about Antisocial Disorders, ASPD, ODD and CD on a new web site My Psychology Professor*. This web site is intended to help students of psychology find articles and write term papers. I hope it will also be a source for people who want detailed information about topics in psychology. There is also a complete collection of papers about social dominance on this site.
I’m not usually into the labeling — the DSM scares the heck out of me, actually. But I do see this bunching of motivations and processes as useful.
I saw my sister in everything on that list, even though she’s probably a mild case.
And then this:
“Disinterest for achievement and disinterest in school are linked to antisocial behavior in children and teens because absent achievement dominance motives lack appropriate channels for expression.”
She had learning disabilities, and she felt bad about that. I was actually remembering this morning my tutoring sessions with her as a kid. I would help her with her math, and she would always learn just fine. She just needed a little extra help, one-on-one. Some kids kind of panic in school, as things may be presented in a way they don’t follow. Later, though, she used this as a complaint against me to a counselor. That counselor called me and my mother in and proceeded to tell me just how “inferior” my well-meaning attempts to help my sister made her feel. I’m still seething!
But it was all powerlessness with her — and the powerful feeling that came from watching me taken down a notch. Or anyone. She got addicted to the power high. If she could disupt anyone’s life, trap them in a situation they couldn’t leave, threaten suicide, steal pieces of clothing and claim they were hers, invade my privacy by reading my diary and broadcasting it around the neighborhood, claim to be terribly hurt by something I wrote about her there, and make up all manner of ridiculous accusations and stories — well, then she had power. If I complained, everyone around us would come to her rescue — including my parents. In fact, I protected her from anyone who picked on her!
Revenge isn’t just the sociopath’s territory: I have just about tortured my parents by leaving them alone with her tantrums for the past couple of years of No Contact. And guess what? I love that. I told them, good, now you “get it.” Power. Yep, I’m becoming a sociopath. What the heck, I studied with the best! I know all the moves.
Maybe NOW we can talk.
It may come sooner than I wanted, though. I’m visiting down South to see my father, and he acts as though nothing is off limits. I’m going to have to have some escape routes planned, same old crap as before. Or just tell her point-blank I’m not talking to her, watch her cause a scene in public, and not care. I’ve been reading about “interventions,” but they all depend on the cooperation of others. If my father doesn’t cooperate, he can watch the consequences of that unfold.
Dear Sister,
An intervention only “works” if the person isn’t a psychopath and CAN change. The Ps do not want to change, will not change.
You may find that NC is the only way to live in peace. I had a hard time coming to the conclusion that NC must be for life with my egg donor (she never earned the title “mother”) but I realized It was the only way for ME to have peace, to lock her out of my life physically and quit caring what she thought about me. I do not need her to validate me. It took a lot for me to finally give up my fantasy of her changing, and she isn’t even a psychopath, she is a TOXIC ENABLER OF PSYCHOPATHS, it is her “assigned role within the family” to mitigate the consequences for the male psychopaths in the famiily and trivalize their monsterous abuses of others. I will not go along with this “pretense” any more.
One Step,
I think you handled it exactly the way you should have handled it. A couple of bucks is NOT worth fighting over when your getting mugged. Just hand it over, no questions asked.
Even if you had a crow bar in your possesion at the time this happened, it wouldn’t have been worth it to use it.
And I hope you know that in your heart. I am sure you know that intellectually.
Sometimes though what happens in the aftermath of being violated, such as you were is this emotional “crap” we have to deal with.
Yes it is “over” they took your money and went away. BUT it isn’t OVER for you….You kind of replay the tape in your head…You might have the shoulda, coulda, woulda, going on as well. Or blame yourself for going to the store at all.
ALL this crap that “stays” long after the incident itself is over.
Even the anger, that this happened at all. That often lingers.
IT JUST SUCKS, because this isn’t something you chose to happen to you. This just happened.
I don’t know what the best way to process this really is. Because I myself didn’t do a very good job of it. I was afraid to fall asleep every night for a very long time. And I was angry about it for a very long time. Angry that I couldn’t feel comfortable in my own home. Angry that they took my “comfort zone” away from me.
I guess you just have to deal with each thing as it comes up. BUT also validate yourself each and every time that you did the RIGHT thing. Don’t second guess, or question anything you did or did not do. YOU did the right thing.
hi witty! i don’t question how i handled it at all. i know i did what was best. no second guessing what so ever.
to contextualize crowbar – only if i have my truck would there be a crowbar present. (and even if i was walking with a crowbar, stupid is the robber who would advance on someone walking with a crowbar. )
the only question i am asking around processing at this time is the chemical/body stuff. the incident created a coolness in my out extrememties that was so severe that i couldn’t get warm enough to sleep. so, i was trying to figure out how to process THAT.
it is diff when it is in the home – i remember that from my experience.
i just went out and i didnt even think about it – except in the best way – i was more attentive to the sounds around me.
i suspect being out at night will be more challenging.
know that if i ever found these guys/ this van – i would report them to the police and/ or do them some damage. I was too sick to do anything the other night. I know that not having a vehicle leaves me more exposed. it’s just the way it is. don’t doubt for a minute that i would use a crow bar on someone witty, if it’s me or them, i am going to fight. I am actually glad of thinking this through in the last day – it gives me some bottom lines.
one doesn’t fight for money – but does for life and limb. simple. and this is in consideration of what those actions will mean to me in the long run. one doesn’t hurt another or defend/not defend oneself without consequences – both spiritual/soul and legal consequences.
Mike- Thank-you.
Did you have a chance to go to the blog I made for valentine’s for love fraud?
http://lfvalentinescard.blogspot.com
If you or Des want to contribute something, just email me at the email on the 2nd post, on the first page (under older posts)
One Step,
Hopefully the first time that you go out at night you will be able to do it without alot of anxiety involved.
The coolness that you experienced in your extrememties is something that if it isn’t caused partially from your being sick, I don’t know what you can do about this…Not if the obvious doesn’t work. Warm bath, extra blankets etc.
Sometimes this stuff doesn’t hit us on the emotional level because we are already on overload and it hits us in a physical sense instead.
Maybe if you really go out of your way to really take very good care of your emotional “self” right now….To the point of pampering yourself. Take such good care of yourself as if you were caring for your sick child. Extra blankets, your favorite foods, warm bubble baths, journaling, watching a good “feel good” movie, rubbing yourself with some good lotions, just whatever it is to make yourself just feel comforted……
I don’t know if this will help but it certainly can’t hurt.
You deserve it 🙂
One step, I am so sorry to hear about what happened! Please vent, vent, vent to high heaven if you need to- whatever makes you feel better, You are among friends.
I think if you carry some form of protection, it will give you peace of mind-my weapon of choice is my super duper hi powered purple tazer gun that I have posted here before about. It has become a joke with all my friends that I carry it 24/7, as I tell them I am dying to use this thing! Just hoping someone will give me a reason to put the red dot on their forehead!(NOT!)
I have to tell you, you and Erin had me ROTFLMBO at the recap of her S date!! I am glad your great sense of humor is still there !! take care xoxox0
ah sabrina, ty – humor is SO important to me.
tazer gun would be nice. i suspect illegal to carry here also. here, only the bad guys are allowed to carry guns.
i am finding that not talking about it is good for me at the moment. i feel that i did well, handled it well in the moment. i am not blaming myself in any way. but ti is shocking. it happened really fast. but you know violence can be like that – when i was a teen my whole family was travelling on an interstate and we drove through a shoot out. it made a pretty big impression on me.
i was in a few compromising situations as a teen that i literally had to run from, but i don’t remember any acts of violence (whoa, i shouldn’t get started on this, cause i have experienced some serious emotional violence in the workplace) – okay acts of PHYSICAL violence perpetrated by a sTRANGER. ITS ALWAYS THE FUCKING LOVERS AND FAMILY WHO ARE DANGEROUS.
I have traveled a lot in foreign countries, and hung out in some less than savory areas of north america – never mugged.
i hate to say this but, it’s ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY! snort!
My this world friends have, to a one, said, OH MY GOD/ HOLY FUCK/, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? And the difference here – here the response is wide ranging and asking questions and being supportive. Not that my friends aren’t supportive -BUT THEY CAN’T GET THEIR HEADS AROUND IT, IT IS FOREIGN TO THEM.
Very, very interesting.
okay. enough for now. a couple more posts to respond to.
best to you sabrina,
one step
witty – i found out what i needed to take and to do for my legs! and i was half right, so that means i am learning and that makes me happy. this from a friend who deeply knows her stuff:
‘Detoxification = using up B6, Cal/Mag, Vitamin C, Niacin, EFAs, etc.
Mugged = adrenal rush
Adrenal rush = using up B5, B6, Vitamin C, Magnesium, etc.
The two nutrients most affecting circulation would be calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and niacin.
The vitamin D article we have just been studying posits that the legs hurt because the calcium depletion creates a bone mass that absorbs water and presses out against the periosteum which is full of nerves and so causing pain. ‘
nigh night
one step
p.s. witty – first night walk under my belt.