Sunday, 4 April 2021 8:35:36 AM

From https://drcachildress.org/

The absence of empathy is the capacity for human cruelty. This is the most disturbing symptom to see in the child surrounding this court-involved family conflict... the capacity for human cruelty.

We are not nice to other people because of who they are, we are nice to them because of who we are.  The absence of empathy and the capacity for cruelty is the most disturbing symptom displayed by the child in court-involved family conflict.

The failure of empathy is associated with only two disorders, narcissistic personality pathology (the abuse pathology) and autism.

The child in court-involved family conflict does not have autism.  How does a child acquire a narcissistic personality disorder in childhood?   

They don't.  Narcissistic personality disorder is an adult pathology.  In childhood, the pathology is an insecure (avoidant) attachment.  The attachment pathology only constellates into personality pathology when the personality stabilizes in early adulthood.

Narcissistic personality disorder is an adult pathology, in childhood it displays as insecure (avoidant) attachment.  The child is being influenced by an adult with a profound absence of empathy and the capacity for cruelty.

It is not an authentic child.  The child is not cruel.  The child is a good kid.  The child is taking care of a psychologically fragile and collapsing parent by joining their "side" in a loyalty alliance against the other parent surrounding the divorce.

The child is taking care of a fragile and pathological parent who lacks the capacity for empathy - they are cruel.  If the child does not surrender to this parent, the child will face their cruelty in revenge for their failed allegiance.

The child cannot escape.  The child is being held hostage by the cruelty of the narcissistic parent who is demanding the child reject their other normal-range parent.  This is immensely cruel to the child.

The child must steel themselves for the brutal act of severing their attachment bond to their beloved parent.  The(y) must be cruel because it is demanded of them.  

When I conduct my assessments, I look for this symptom, the absence of empathy.  I don't look at the child's capacity for empathy, I look at their capacity for human cruelty.

Normal-range kids can be angry, they're not cruel, they're angry.  Anger is an emotion stemming from unresolved pain.  Cruelty is the absence of empathy.  

The absence of empathy and the capacity for human cruelty is NEVER a symptom we want to see in a child. That is very-very bad.  We need to fix it.  Now.

We must protect the child.

Craig Childress, Psy.D.
Clinical Psychologist, PSY 18857

The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty PDF By Simon Baron-Cohen