Chapter 22. Antisocial Personality Disorder and Other Antisocial Behavior

Abstract

In this chapter, we summarize much of what has been learned about antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and other forms of antisocial behavior, including childhood conduct disorder, adult antisocial behavior, and psychopathy. ASPD is perhaps the most troublesome form of antisocial behavior and wreaks more havoc on society than most other mental disorders because it primarily involves actions directed against the social environment. Antisocial criminals are responsible for untold financial losses and require additional billions to police and punish them. The despair and anxiety wrought by antisocial persons tragically affect families and communities. Many people with ASPD live in poverty or draw on the social welfare system, hampered by poor school and work performance and an inability to establish a life plan. ASPD is associated with a pattern of socially irresponsible, exploitative, and guiltless behavior manifested by disturbances in many areas of life, including family relations, schooling, work, military service, and marriage. Behaviors include criminal acts and failure to conform to the law, failure to sustain consistent employment, manipulation and deception of others for personal gain, and failure to develop or sustain stable interpersonal relationships. Other attributes of ASPD include a lack of empathy for others, rare experiences of remorse, and failure to learn from the negative results of one's behavior. The spectrum of behaviors seen in people with ASPD ranges from relatively minor acts at one end (e.g., lying, cheating) to heinous acts at the other (e.g., rape, murder). Common and widespread, the presence of ASPD is rarely acknowledged, and determining its causes is as elusive as understanding its treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)