Secrets have a tendency to get out, creating a distance between people that even time can't rectify.
When father and Reddit user Kramuz and his wife learned that their son was exhibiting antisocial behavior, the couple were deeply disturbed. Especially the mother.
However, as the man explained in his post on r/AITAH, he wasn't very surprised — his family has a long history of mental illness and he himself has a troubled past.
Kramuz had kept both of these facts from his partner, but after their child started having problems at school, he chose to disclose them to her.
But even though the woman got more context on what was happening, she still felt betrayed by the years of secrecy.
This man confessed to the internet that he had kept his family's mental illness history a secret from his wife
Image credits: msvyatkovska/Envato (not the actual photo)
But he didn't see anything wrong with it, even though their child was kicked out of kindergarten for antisocial behavior
Image credits: Lara-sh/Envato (not the actual photo)
As his story gained popularity, the man made a new post, providing more context on his situation
Image credits: RDNE Stock project/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: voronaman111/Envato (not the actual photo)
And finally, he released a second update, claiming he was scared of his wife leaving him
Image credits: kramuz
It’s hard to imagine a couple being able to tackle such problems efficiently when there’s been a huge breach of trust
The terms ‘psychopath’ and ‘sociopath’ are often used interchangeably in common speech to describe a person who is pathologically prone to criminal or violent behavior and lacks any regard for the feelings or interests of others as well as any feelings of remorse or guilt for their crimes.
But sociopaths are normally less emotionally stable and highly impulsive – their behavior tends to be more erratic than that of psychopaths. When committing crimes – either violent or non-violent – sociopaths act more impulsively and lack detailed planning.
However, it's worth pointing out that neither sociopathy nor psychopathy represents an official diagnosis. They both fall under the larger umbrella of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD).
Image credits: habrovich/Envato (not the actual photo)
Sociopathic traits in children include:
- lack of remorse;
- impulsivity;
- manipulating others;
- violence or aggression;
- frequent lying;
- cruelty toward animals;
- stealing.
A 2018 study did find multiple genes associated with a risk of lower cognitive abilities, academic difficulties, truancy, lower self-control, and criminal offending. But we cannot know what caused the Redditor’s son to act like he has. “More research is necessary to fully understand what influences the development of sociopathic traits in children,” said Brooke Schwartz, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in private practice in Los Angeles, CA.
“However, it is believed that these behaviors are caused by a number of interactive factors including a child’s environment, genetics, and brain development.”
Whatever the answer might be, the fact that Kramuz breached his wife’s trust makes it much more difficult for the couple to deal with it.
Virtually everyone who read his story wished the woman would actually do it
And people really felt for his son
