Childhood Lead Exposure Linked to Criminality.
Criminality is amygdala dysfunction – it is an amygdala that can’t properly encounter urges, and weave behavior within the established boundaries of forbidden behaviors to a solution that resolves the aversive urge without triggering other negative consequences. The criminal sees what they can’t do without, and the angst at the thought of failure so panics them that they simply take it, regardless of the consequences which their amygdala is uable to perceive. Interestingly lead has been shown to create cognitive dysfunction similar to amygdala damage.
It will be interesting to find if some of the most malignant of Narcissists have a history of heavy metal exposure during early developmental periods which leave their amygdala damaged – unable to navigate the world without constantly enduring agony, angst, anger, and fear.
Never think a Narcissist operates from a position of strength. The operate from the weakest of positions, with their backs against the wall emotionally, and so overwhelmed by events that they cannot even begin to find their way to the easiest behavioral path of all – simply being decent and reasonable. Whatever the root of their disorder, use their angst against them, never show them any mercy, and never mistake them for human. By the very nature of their disorder, there is no humanity within them.
I think one ought to be careful not to label all criminal behaviors to lead exposure. I know that’s not what you’re saying. Having studied some criminology as a major hobby of mine for decades, what I find is that most criminals are made by others. You look at the rap sheet of a typical inmate in prison and you’ll see a progression of crimes starting, usually, with something small, and moving onto bigger and bolder things as he develops his abilities, and gains greater confidence, in spite of his short-sightedness. This is done because they’re initially trying to win approval by those they admire, usually older criminals themselves, and in order to do so they do things like boost a 40 oz. beer from the local convenience store, or mule drugs from one place to another, etc, at an early age, sometimes as young as 5 years old in some extreme cases.
One police detective I’ve talked to told me that one common element in criminals is a distinct lack of respect for legitimate authority, and that’s usually due to the lack of a positive male role-model in the home. This is interesting because I wondered why failures do not necessarily deter a criminal from committing crimes again; you’d think a prison term would help to curb that. But it often doesn’t. Recidivism exists in large part because the criminal has no other environment to develop legitimate, legal skills and talents to make him a productive member of society. Often, when a convict gets out of prison, he’s hanging with the same kinds of people he hung out with before, only he’s older and somewhat wiser, criminally speaking, for the wear. Mind you, I’m not specifically talking about the more violent offenders, who have a lot more issues at work.
I was reading about a Jesuit Priest who started one of the first Half-Way Houses in America during the 1950s, and I note how very successful he was at turning ex-cons into upstanding, law-abiding citizens, and at the same time, I noted how this is a threat to the state bureaucracy that has to have problems in society to justify their continual existence. I don’t read about too many Half-Way Houses in existence today, and with the growing persecution of religious charities and institutions, I think whatever might still exist will find their doors closing for good.
meh!
what hasn’t been linked to lead exposure?