Final answer:
Before the 18th century, children with psychopathy were not understood in terms of mental health, but rather through a lens of inherent human sinfulness, with deviant behavior addressed through punishment rather than care. Mental illness, possibly including psychopathy, was handled by punitive imprisonment, with no specialized treatment facilities. As the 19th century approached, reforms began to create institutions to provide more humane treatment for those with mental health issues.
Step-by-step explanation:
The views of children with psychopathy before the 18th century were not well-defined or understood in the way we view psychopathy today. The concept of mental illness itself was not comprehensively recognized, and behaviors we may now attribute to psychopathy were often seen through a moralistic or religious lens. Consistent with the conservative beliefs of the time, such as those espoused by Joseph de Maistre, human nature was considered inherently flawed due to original sin. As a result, individuals displaying deviant behavior, which might today be categorized under mental health disorders like psychopathy, were often treated punitively rather than therapeutically.
In particular, mentally ill individuals, potentially including those with symptoms resembling psychopathy, were often lumped together with criminals and faced imprisonment and harsh punishments rather than receiving care or rehabilitation. Before the 19th century, there were no specialized facilities for treating mental illness, so many of these individuals ended up in prisons alongside debtors and criminals, handled by family efforts or left to voluntary systems that were non-systematic and punitive in nature.However, as the 19th century approached, reform efforts began to address the conditions of prisons, asylums, and schools in America. These reformers were the forerunners to implementing more humane treatments and conditions for those with mental health issues, including building institutions dedicated to addressing social problems and handling mental illness with more specialized care.