Another long-term study (by Yu Gao, Ph.D., and colleagues) has come to the conclusion that childhood fearlessness predisposes a child to later crime in adulthood – and that can be determined by testing children under the age of three. Although I disagree with the study’s methodology, I agree with the premise that prompted the 20 year study – that fearlessness in children often translates into criminal behavior in adulthood.
Why does this matter? Because many of the problems we experience in adulthood have their roots in early childhood – buried in the deepest parts of our brains and psyches – beyond the reach of conscious memory. That can present a real problem when you are looking to make substantial life changes – some of those change efforts may be blocked by subconscious conditioning over which you have no conscious recollection or control.
Although the Gao study noted a possible (maybe probable) connection between early childhood fearlessness and adult criminal behavior, it posits no recommendation as to a remedy.
I recommend hypnosis as a possible remedy. Many creatures, including humans, are susceptible to hypnosis – which bypasses the conscious psyche and addresses the underlying subconscious mind. From that perspective, childhood fearlessness might be targeted with possible specific change therapies directed to an outcome that disconnects that fearlessness from criminality. For example, childhood fearlessness might be creatively redirected toward useful endeavors such as entrepreneurship or law enforcement.
The report of the Gao study appears online in the November 16, 2009, American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP), the official journal of the American Psychiatric Association. Data collection was supported by the Medical Research Council (U.K.), Wellcome Trust (U.K.), and National Institute of Mental Health.