Is psychopathy a genetic trait?

[Anonymous]

I always knew I was adopted. My parents were honest from the start but I never really wondered about my bio parents until later on in my early adulthood years.

I found out my bio father had psychopathic traits. I saw a picture of him when he was in his early 20's. I look like his female version in looks, damn. That really creeps me out. Is psychopathy genetic? Even if I don't have it, I'm assuming my future child might get it.

Updates

+1 y

I don't recall ever having conduct diorder, nor violent tendencies nor ever being cruel towards others nor animals, none of that.
But yeah.. I find it creepy that I still look like that man with psychopathic traits and that I might have kids that might get his genes.

[Well_Wisher]

The actual answer to your question is bit complicated. The thing is there are some genes which are considered to be found prominent in psychopaths like CDH and RLP and many more. But only presence or absence of such genes are not only the factor. Environmental factors and how you were raised are also a few major factors. Some research even says that having some psychopath genes tends a person to act more like a psychopath. Such genes can also be passed to their offsprings and yes some people can also act as carrier of those genes and stay unaffected throughout their life. And as people with such genes can be normal I do believe that even if they bear such genes they can still be a normal person. It's about how you train yourself and have control on yourself because sometimes you just can't blame your genetic makeup because your habits, diet, environment factor also says a lot about your behaviour. As epigenetics term says environmental factors matters a lot on how our genes function and express themselves.

[Thawed_Snowflake]

Less than 1% of all psychopaths are made so inevitably by genetics.

[Asker]

That's good to know. I still find it hard to believe that a psychopath fathered me. I hate the fact that I got his physical features. I hate looking like him.