Developmental Pathways to Conduct Disorder: Implications for Understanding, Diagnosing and Treating Children and Adolescents With Serious Conduct Problems

Most theories for the causes of serious conduct problems in children and adolescents are not integrated well with research on normal developmental processes that can influence whether a child is at risk for acting in ways that violate the rights of others or that violate serious age-appropriate norms. The current talk will focus on how individual and environmental risk factors can influence several developmental processes, including the development guilt, empathy, and other prosocial emotions, to place a child at risk for developing conduct disorders. It will also focus on how this research should guide improvements in diagnosis and treatment for aggressive and antisocial behavior.