• A mother exposed to deprivation or abuse as a child.
• A transient father.
• A mother who cannot maintain stable emotional connection with her child.
• Low birth weight or birth complications.
• Unusual reactions to emotional pain.
• Lack of attachment to adults.
• Failure to make eye contact when touched.
• Low frustration tolerance.
• Sense of self-importance.
• Transient relationships throughout childhood, or close association with another like him or her.
• Cruelty toward others.
• Animal abuse.
• Lack of remorse for hurting someone.
• Lack of empathy in friendships.

Children who grow up in a violent environment are also at risk for pathological development. During schools years, children develop social skills that will be put to use as an adult, and violence stunts the mental and emotional growth process:

• Lack of safety harms cognitive functioning.
• Children who live in fear often repress their feelings, which hinders their ability to empathize.
• Children exposed to violence have a difficult time concentrating.
• Feelings of helplessness pervade the lives of those who are abused.
• Constant stress in the environment produces symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

There is also a correlation between certain factors and the risk of violence among adolescents:

• Past violent behavior.
• Substance abuse.
• Aggressive peers.
• Family aggression.
• Social stress.
• Character or mental disorders.
• Access to weapons.
• Focused anger.
• Low degree of resilience.

Self-worth, resilience, hope, intelligence, and empathy are key to building the ability to control impulses, manage anger, and solve conflicts, Without these skills, one cannot function properly in.

Violence need not occur in the home to have a detrimental effect on a child’s mental and emotional outlook, either. Violence at school may also cause a borderline psychopathic child to cross the line.