ABSTRACT
The development of prosocial skills is one of the most complex processes that humans must master. Empathic abilities are a fundamental building block of these prosocial skills, and deficient empathy skills and trait callousness are a significant contributor to violent and antisocial conduct. This chapter provides a neuro-evolutionary description of the development of empathy and prosocial skills. The chapter describes the results of the largest study of the brain correlates of callous/unemotional (CU) traits in severely conduct disordered boys, as well as evidence that these traits can be effectively treated. The described results indicate that, like most prosocial skills, callousness appears to involve the whole brain – indicating that these skills are part of a complex process involving genetics, temperament, and social experiences. The chapter then describes the results of the Mendota Juvenile Treatment Program, a specialized program designed to treat highly aggressive delinquent boys. Several outcome studies are described that document that the program reduces CU traits in these youth, and this reduction predicts improved prosocial behavior. In studies including propensity score matched treatment as usual comparison groups, treatment was associated with a reduction of felony violence to approximately half the comparison group rate.
