Kevin
a troubled boy who murdered his father, sister and some of his school friends
without any regrets. Kevin can describe as a psychopath who have no empathy to
others. He never cares about someone else’s feelings. He is aware of other’s
emotion and feelings, but he doesn’t care about them. Kevin have features of
antisocial personality disorder such as aggression to people and animal
(damaging his sister and sister’s mouse), fail to conform to social rules,
impulsivity without consideration for consequences and little regret the
consequences of acts( he didn’t show any regret when he caused injured his
sister’s eye), frequently deceitful and manipulative in order gain to personal
profit or pleasure ( he always exhibited manipulative behaviour to his mother
even he is a little child/ when his arm broken by mother he used it), and lack
of empathy. When we look at etiology of antisocial personality disorder, gene-
environment interaction is influential. Many environmental factors have been
implicated in the development of antisocial personality disorder such as low
family income, poor supervision by parent, conflict between parent, neglect,
harsh discipline from parents and abuse. Also, psychopathy is more common in
males than females.
When
we consider about Kevin’s’ situation, most probably Kevin would have
susceptibility to develop psychopathology and environmental conditions
interacted with it. Kevin’s mother did not want to have a child, and she never
have pleased about having a child. That’s why she couldn’t develop a warm
relationship with his son. Explanation of Kevin’s psychopathology with
biological vulnerability to antisocial behaviour and his mothers’ caring style,
fitting to interactional model of psychopathology. But transactional model of
psychopathology is also explained development of pathology of Kevin. As
transactional model assumption, individual and environment have reciprocal
interaction. When Kevin was a baby he cried continuously, causing his mother’s
frustration. As a child he resisted learning to go to the bathroom, rejected
his mothers’ love and seemed to have no interest in anything. This situation
causes mothers’ unwillingness to care and love him.
The developmental psychopathology perspective explains pathway of development open to change. New situations or new reactions can bring different direction. This probabilistic nature of development is identifying in principles of equifinality and multifinality. Respect to probabilistic nature of developmental psychopathology perspective, can Kevins’ genetic vulnerability recovers with healthy environmental factors? Maybe, if he could have a warm relationship with mother and secure attachment with her, he could develop a little empathy to other. Also, the idea of his father getting him a hobby can be a good step to establish relationship his father and get rid of his aggression but the archery which the hobby that his father directed him, is a hobby that can easily use to harm others. Actually, the archery isn’t a play that cause violence, but his condition Kevin is irritable and aggressive boy and is inclined to violence that why archery wasn’t a good choice. If Kevin grow up different parents who are more attentive, maybe severity of pathology could lesser or he could not be developed pathology.
Risk factors of developmental psychopathology are both genetic and
environmental. Kevin’s mother did not want to have a baby, she may
have had a stressful pregnancy. Hence maybe, the maternal stress may have negatively affected the
baby's brain development, making him susceptible to pathology. Also, he
couldn’t develop secure attachment with his mother. It was also risk factor. Development
of antisocial personality in Kevin, both genetic vulnerability and
environmental risk factors seems to responsible.