"The point is that children's perception of wrongness is different from those with more mature minds."

Research has established that all children are driven to give the answer that they think that is 'wanted' - 'seeking approval'. This is why some little horrors can excel at 'manipulating the system' - for they then discover that they can 'avoid consequences'.

Have you never seen that footage of the child being seated, back to the big train set covered with a cloth, that they must not look at. The assistant then uncovers it, and suddenly has to leave the room. "You can look when I come back." The child promises to not look. Every child, when alone, looks, even if creatively briefly, then all deny having looked at all - 'promise!'. For they all know that the 'correct' answer to 'did you look' must be 'no' to gain approval.

This is how our internal hard wired rule sets work - this is humanity!

Education and experience establishes with most older people accept that there are overriding 'absolutes', such as 'telling the _truth_', 'obeying the rules' etc. This we call 'maturity'.

Some adults never accept these concepts. And for many, no 'punishment', even 'denial of privileges' will deter them.

It has been suggested that these 'failed humans' should be eliminated without mercy. The problem is that once you set off down this path, this is a loss of our very humanity .... and it is not all 'set in the genes', for their children may not always follow the path of their filial examples.