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Short case study on antisocial personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder theories
What are theroies of antisocial personality disorder
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The movie “The Stepfather” portrays David, a psychopath who tries to find the perfect family for himself. He seduces divorced women with children using his charming looks and romantic words. Once David is accepted as a member of the family, he murders the wife and kids. The movie begins with David transforming himself into another man, entirely changing his looks and leaving a dead family behind. He moves to a new town with a new name and meets a divorced woman with kids in the supermarket. Later on, he gets engaged to the mother and he starts to show suspicious behavior. The stepfather in the movie has Antisocial Personality Disorder. Antisocial Personality Disorder is described by an example of dismissal for and infringement of the privileges …show more content…
The more deplorable, unsafe, or hazardous behavior patterns are alluded to as sociopathic or psychopathic. There has been a lot of discussion with regards to the refinement between these depictions. Sociopathy is predominantly portrayed as something seriously amiss with an individual's conscious; psychopathy is described as a total absence of conscious in regard to others. A few experts depict individuals with this constellation of symptoms as "stone icy" to the privileges of others. Entanglements of this issue incorporate imprisonment, drug abuse, and liquor addiction. Other symptoms include: disregard for societal laws, violation of the physical and/or emotional rights of others, lack of stability in job and home life, irritability, aggressiveness, lack of regret or guilt, persistent irresponsibility, recklessness, hastiness, abruptness, and deceitfulness (Antisocial Personality Disorder). The Stepfather showed a realistic portrayal of this disorder. It is also possible for people to commit crimes and not feel any remorse for their actions. Moreover, there are cases of people murdering their entire families for no apparent reason. In one case study, Tommy Lynn Sells admits to killing so many people that he lost count. He mentions that he feels no emotion whatsoever and that he is addicted to murdering people (Famous Case Studies and People with the
The psychopath know the reasons behind acting a certain way and just don't think about the consequences. Even in the DSM-IV clear definitions of a psychopath doe not exist but the closes to diagnose is anti-social personality disorder. Dr. Hare instead developed the Psychopathy Checklist for people to diagnose psychopathy. The first part of the Psychopathy Checklist looks at the emotional and interpersonal traits of the disorder(Hare, 1993). Some of the emotional qualities that the clinician would look for is as followed: glib/superficial, egocentric/grandiose and lack of empathy.
Psychopath and Sociopath are so closely related that many don’t know they are different illness. Both psychopath and sociopath have similar illness but their factors are completely different. Study’s shows this may be a product of nature vs nurture. Secondly, Psychopath behavior is shown to be controlled while sociopath is shown to have uncontrollable behavior. Thirdly, there violence outburst is different, psychopath usually plan out their crimes while sociopaths are erratic and careless with their crimes. Fourthly, Psychopaths don’t feel any type emotion towards others but they can be in relationships when it comes beneficial to them. Sociopaths often don’t have relationships, they don’t become attached to others. Lastly, Psychopath are actually
Sociopaths are prevalent among society, and some researchers, like Martha Stout, claim that one out of every twenty-five people is a sociopath. However, this statistic is incorrect. This statistic is based on the assumption that sociopaths and psychopaths are the same people—which is untrue. While the sociopathic and psychopathic traits overlap, sociopaths differ in that they are obviously nervous and agitated, unable to create the illusions that psychopaths are so proud of. They live on the fringes of society, uneducated and unable to keep a steady job. Psychopaths, unlike sociopaths, are suave and able to maintain an illusion of conformity and maintain relationships on a superficial level. Both, however, are dominantly male, tend to disregard the rights and social mores of others, and have a tendency display violent and disruptive outbursts without remorse. Unlike psychopaths, who completely lack remorse and the ability to love, sociopaths may attach themselves to certain people, though they still remain contemptuous of the rest of humanity (7).
The study of the psychopath shows someone who is incapable of feeling guilt, remorse or empathy for what they do. They are generally cunning, manipulative and know what is right or wrong but dismisses it as applying to them. Such individuals are incapable of what some would call normal emotions such as love; generally react without thinking about the consequences of their actions and show extreme egotistical and narcissistic behavior. Some of the common characteristics among psychopaths are as follows: superficial charm and an average intelligence, unreliability, untruthfulness and insincerity, lack of shame, antisocial behavior, loss of insight, suicide threats rarely carried out, poverty in major affective reactions, no nervousness or neurotic manifestations, sex life trivial and poorly integrated, and failure to follow any life plan (Berko...
Psychopathy was first written about by psychiatrist Philippe Pinel in the early 19th century. He referred to it as “insanity without delirium” and described individuals suffering from this as being “morally neutral”. In 1941, Hervey Cleckley wrote a book 'The Mask of Sanity' which is today considered as the cornerstone of the study of psychopaths. He wrote that the psychopath is capable of “concealing behind a perfect mimicry of normal emotion, fine intelligence, and social responsibility, a grossly disabled and irresponsible personality.” This supports the theory that not only is talk therapy inadequate as a treatment, but on the contrary it has the potential to make the condition worse as it enables the individual to practice the art of manipulation. Today worldwide, we use a checklist c...
Psychopathy has fascinated the public for years due to the gruesome and evil portrayal it has received in the media. Psychopathy is defined in the DSM-III as a personality disorder characterized by enduring antisocial behavior, diminished empathy and remorse, and disinhibited or bold behavior (Patrick, Christopher, Fowles, Krueger, Rober, 2009). Psychopathy represents a cluster of different dimensions of personality found amongst the general population to varying degrees (Patrick et al, 2009). The diagnostic definition is meant to be applied to adults, however psychopathology can occur in children. Controversy surrounds the topic of childhood mental illness because the brain is not fully developed until the age of 18; thus allowing the possibility that symptoms are the result of growing up and will change. The triarchic model, formulated by Christopher J. Patrick, is the most commonly used model in diagnosing adult and childhood psychopathy. This model suggests that different conceptions of psychopathy emphasize three observable characteristics to varying degrees; boldness, disinhibition and meanness (Patrick, et al, 2009). Boldness is the first observable characteristic and is comprised of low fear including stress-tolerance, toleration of unfamiliarity and danger, and high self-confidence and social assertiveness. Disinhibition; characterized by poor impulse control including problems with planning and foresight, lacking affect and urge control, demand for immediate gratification, and poor behavioral restraints. Meanness is defined as lacking empathy and close attachments with others, disdain of close attachments, use of cruelty to gain empowerment, exploitative tendencies, defiance of authority, and destructive excitement seek...
In The Psychopath Test, an inspired reporter retells his journey of uncovering the details of psychopathy and its controversy. Jon Ronson profiles incredible cases and controversial treatment demonstrating the ambiguity of psychopathy and the commonality of self-diagnosis. He asked the question “What does it mean to be a psychopath?”. Ronson's work is an extensive look at the bigger questions that society has about psychopathy, including some of its history. The American Psychological association does not address psychopathy the same way Ronson does in his book. The APA often refers to psychopathy as Antisocial Personality Disorder: characterized by a pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others by an adult. Psychopaths are
Sociopath is a kind of anti-social behavior. The term sociopath was first introduce in 1909 in Germany by biological psychiatrist Karl Birnbaum and in 1930 in the US by educational psychologist George E. Parttridge, as a subtype of Psychopath. It was used to indicate that the defining feature is violation of antisocial behavior. Robert Hare, who may believe that biological factors are predominant in causing psychopathy, claimed that sociopathy and psychopathy are often used interchangeably, but in some cases the term sociopathy is preferred because it is less likely than is psychopathy to be confused with psychosis. Hare also believed that sociopath was made due to social factors whereas psychopathy was made by psychological,biological, and genetic factors. (Wikipedia)
One area of research in psychopathy focuses on the set of structures in the brain known as the limbic system, but more specifically on a structure known as the amygdala. According to neuropsychology class slides, the amygdala is involved in emotions and storage of emotions in memory as well as the fear response when encountering threatening environmental stimuli. Osumi and colleagues (2012) note that the affective and interpersonal facets of psychopathy, such as cold-heartedness and lack of empathy, which are thought to be the core features of psychopathy, are associated with reduced activity in the amygdala. This is coupled with the fact that a less functional amygdala is associated with a psychopathic individual’s exhibition of antisocial behaviors, at least in part because he will not perceive the threat of punishment as a consequence of his actions. So whether it be the acts against other people or the acts of justice that may be carried out against the perpetrator, the psychopath will perceive both as less significant, as compared to a non-psychopathic individual. (Osumi et al., 2012)
The goal of this paper is to effectively explain the adverse effects of antisocial personality disorder. This paper will increase understanding of the psychological mindset of those who commit crimes and how it relates to their personality. I have selected two sources on the subject of antisocial personality disorders that will effectively explain an individual’s actions when suffering from this disorder. Finally, we will discuss possible treatments for this disorder. According to Merriam Webster dictionary, an antisocial personality disorder or APD is a personality disorder that is characterized by antisocial behavior exhibiting pervasive disregard for and violation of the rights, feelings, and safety of others starting in childhood or the early teenage years and continuing into adulthood.
By 1929/30 an American psychologist coined the term sociopathy which meant ‘a pervasive failure to adhere to societal norms which could lead to the harm of others’.
...res of the psychopaths and gives the reader various examples of these individuals playing out these characteristics in everyday life. A widely used checklist is provided so the reader can get a wide spanning view of what is accounted for when scoring a psychopath. This form of research is very important within the deceitfulness of this population; it allows the professional to ignore their words and examine their actions. Hare made it clear that it is not uncommon for there to be an emotional and verbal disconnect from their actions. With virtually no emotional functioning psychopaths feel no remorse for the offenses that they commit and it is very important that we work towards using the opportunities we have to study and assist these populations; not only for them but for ourselves.
While mental disorders are characterized by abnormal behaviors in certain people, abnormal behavior is considered by psychologists when a combination of the mentioned elements meet together: unusual or statistically infrequent; socially unacceptable or in violation of social norms; fraught with misperceptions or misinterpretations of reality; associated with states of severe personal distress; maladaptive or self-defeating; and dangerous (Nevid et al, 2011). Some would think that psychopathy is considered a mental disorder due to its characterization based on abnormal behavior but in fact isn’t classified as one by the terms of the DSM-IV. As defined in the DSM-IV, “A mental disorder is a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and that is associated with present distress or disability or with a significantly increased risk of suffering death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom.” (Hare, 2009) Therefore, psychopaths are described as being people suffering from antisocial personality disorder and are evaluated and judged by these terms. The following paper’s goal will therefore consist of explaining what is psychopathy and its facets, how psychopathy in youth is apprehended, how psychopathy influences violence and sexual violence, as well as evaluating if psychopaths are considered by the judge to be criminally responsible.
When people hear the words Psychopathy and Sociopathy, they normally think of serial killers like Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer, but these mental occurrences are much bigger than just serial killers. Both of these mental disorders Psychopathy and Sociopathy are mental disorders that most people have heard of, but do not know much about either disorder. There are many misconceptions of both of these disorders, because these are portrayed as dangerous in everyday life. They are seen as evil and violent, but that is not always the case. They tend to just be different but we think of them is bad because that is what we hear about on the news and from Hollywood. We see these people as serial killers and violent people, but that is not always the case. People tend to confuse these two disorders or use them interchangeably, but there is a difference between the two even though they share a great number of qualities.
The media most often showcases psychopaths as individuals who are inherently evil and dangerous towards themselves and others. Yet, this concept of psychopathy goes far beyond this idea of pure evil and instead necessitates a needed psychological understanding. These individuals, psychopaths, are generally characterized by a lack of empathy and conscience. Indeed, psychopath’s indifference to the repercussions of their actions combined with other characteristics such as hostility and aggression make for a potentially dangerous personality (Lyken, 1996, p.30). In order to identify a psychopath’s recidivism, it is important to differentiate them from sociopaths who, instead of having a psychological impairment that makes it difficult for them to socialize, have been systematically under socialized (Lyken, 1996, p.30). In accordance. psychologists have developed the methods such as the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised (PCL-R) to help identify those with psychopathic tendencies (Walters, 2012, p.409). That is why predictions of recidivism among psychopaths is most efficient when done