3 Misinterpreted Signs of Sociopathy Development

Bed-wetting, fire-setting, and cruelty to animals are often thought of as a dark triad (formerly known as Macdonald’s Triad) of childhood behavior that, if present, is a sure indicator the kid will be the next Ted Bundy. Imagine:

Sibling: “Mom, come look! Jimmy’s swinging both cats by the tail while he’s lighting the bedsheets on fire and wetting himself again!”

Mother: “Oh dear, that’s twice now ... better get that looked at. Don’t need a budding sociopath on our hands.”

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Unfortunately, there’s no such fool-proof observation that can predict with any accuracy that a child will grow up to be such a menace. Anyone who has worked in a forensic arena knows that not every kid who does these things becomes a sociopath, nor has every sociopath acted as such. It’s important to remember that early troublesome behavior does not mean that it will be sustained.

Conversely, lack of obvious, early, troubling behaviors does not mean someone won’t “come out” as The Sociopath Next Door, which is the title of sociopathy expert Dr. Martha Stark’s book on the topic. It is in the formative years that many hone their skills, and learn that if they're going to do something wrong, to "do it right," so as not to get caught. Years later, when they are found out, it makes headlines.

Everything must be taken in context

It is important to note the wording of Macdonald's statement from his 1963 article entitled "The Threat to Kill":

"A history of great parental brutality, extreme maternal seduction, or the triad of childhood firesetting, cruelty to animals and enuresis can signal those who will eventually threaten homicide." (Franklin, 2012)

Key words: can signal those who will eventually threaten homicide.

Since then, researchers have learned that such behaviors are indeed correlated to unstable homes and such homes tend to include abuse, and abuse is correlated with sociopathy (e.g., Millon, 2011; Delisi et al., 2019). Therefore, it is feasible that some might have such a triad. However, it's also important to note that Macdonald made his observation, as alluded to in the title of his article, based on subjects who threatened heinous violent acts (Ramsland, 2012). Even then, without the internet to help spread false information, such things got taken out of context, perverted, and became a mainstay stereotype.

It’s a good thing there are no billboards informing parents to watch out for the Macdonald Triad. Mental health truths get corrupted enough as it is by popular culture. Considering many kids periodically wet their bed past the normal stage, have experimented with fire in some capacity, and have probably kicked the dog out of misplaced anger, we’d have people running around saying little Joe or Jane is a sociopath with the same misinformed zeal that they claim their kid is bipolar after seeing pharmaceutical commercials suggesting the condition is simply mood swings.

Symptoms must be taken in context. As far as sociopathy (or any personality disorder), which is the antiquated term for antisocial personality (called conduct disorder in youth), such problematic behaviors must be part of a long-standing, pervasive, baseline presentation. To assume that someone is headed to the Encyclopedia of Social Menaces (if such an encyclopedia existed) with some scattered, isolated incidents of poor judgment/poor impulse control is premature and the kind of thing that stigma grows from.

Researchers Parfitt & Alleyne (2020) recently undertook significant research on the topic and concluded it is exceedingly rare that a conduct-disordered youth presents with such a triad or that adult sociopaths had such a triad. The aforementioned Dr. Stark doesn't even mention the Macdonald Triad in her book, which brings readers from childhood through adulthood of sociopathic behavior.

Rather, there’s a good chance that any extended bed-wetting, regular fire-setting activity, and animal cruelty is more indicative of home dysfunction and maladaptive communication efforts. Sure, dysfunctional homes are, to some degree, correlated to the development of conduct disorder/sociopathy, but the majority of kids coming from such homes aren’t sociopathic sprouts. If that were the case, sociopathy would be more prevalent than the approximately 3-4% (Volkert et al., 2018; Shannon, 2019) rate it is believed to be.

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There is mounting evidence over the past 20 years by personality experts (e.g., Yudofsky, 2005; Millon, 2011; Raines, 2018; Shannon, 2019.) that sociopaths/antisocial personalities are an amalgam of inherited traits (e.g., penchant for anger, poor impulse control, and prefrontal cortex abnormalities) coupled with learned experiences (e.g., how you view the world, beliefs about the self, etc.). In effect, one must have the “right mixture.”

Source: John Cafazza/Unsplash

Don't be alarmist

If we hear of this concerning triad, while alarming, it’s important not to be alarmist. Any assumption that the kid is conduct-disordered can color them incorrigible and a lost cause when, in fact, if we listen—that’s right, listen—to the behaviors, we just might find they’re not coming from a place of malice like true sociopathy, but instead are actions to express things the child can’t verbally get across. Remember, children are not the most verbally articulate, so quite often show distress by "acting out."

When first encountering these three behaviors, it may be helpful to first think of them through the following lenses:

Bed-wetting: “I need someone to take care of me.”

As infants and toddlers, wetting oneself made others come running to make you comfortable. Therefore, bed-wetting becomes encoded as a symbol of needing care. This could be a subconscious tactic by children with separation anxiety, for example. It may also be indicative of a child being abused in that, perhaps, during abuse they wet themselves, and if dreaming about it, which is essentially reliving it, they again lose continence.

Cruelty to animals: “I need to feel a sense of power over something.”

If a child feels powerless over an abusive parent, for instance, they can’t lash out at the parent because they’ll be further harmed. However, perhaps the parent has a favorite cat or dog, which symbolizes the parent, and the child thus misplaces their anger on the animal.

Fire-setting : “I’m curious.”

Ellen Brower-Gately, LMHC, a fellow Massachusetts-based court clinician and our resident fire-setting-behavior assessment expert, offered:

Fire setting behaviors result from four basic areas of motivation, though the categories are not mutually exclusive. Many children experiment with fire because of curiosity but may accidentally cause significant damage. They are usually very young and not aware of the possible consequences of their fire-related behaviors.

Other, older, youth may be involved in fire behaviors as part of a group dynamic and are not usually concerned with the impact of their behaviors. There is sometimes one group member with a stronger interest in fire. In some cases, fire setting can be a literal beacon drawing attention to trauma, such as burning things that belong to an abuser or that remind them of the person.​ Very rarely, there are youth that set fires as a result of impaired mental or emotional functioning.

Source: Devin Avery/Unsplash

Source: Devin Avery/Unsplash

If, once investigated, the aforementioned are not the case and the child shows no desire to curb the behavior or speaks of sadistic pleasure in being cruel, then a more nefarious picture may be at hand.

Chances are, the child who is more likely to pose an ongoing, serious danger is the one who takes pleasure in cruelty, has used a weapon while sexually assaulting or robbing someone, incessantly lies to con others, has set a fire to cause serious property damage, and regularly engages in breaking and entering. If these behaviors begin prior to teenage years, it is more likely the conduct disorder will not remit (DSM-5) and a future of antisocial personality is more certain.

Behaviors of the Macdonald Triad always deserve to be looked at carefully, but thankfully, for a majority of youth, they are isolated/time-limited experiences.