Antisocial Personality Disorder is a personality disorder that is said that one out of every twenty five people in America have, commonly called sociopaths these people are characterized by disregard for social norms and callous unconcern for the feelings of others. These people fall in the two extremes of American society, either the scoundrels and the unsuccessful, or the powerful and affluent individuals, but they rarely fall into the “hard working” or middle-class section of society.
Sociopaths are have inherent traits including: being manipulative, callousness, deceitfulness, hostility, risk taking, impulsiveness, irresponsibility. They have a very inflated ego, will lie and cheat, simply because they feel no remorse, shame or guilt. Their emotions are shallow, and their decisions logical, and with all these factors weighed in, their roles in society are generally either the guy who can’t get a job or hold one down, or in high positions in leadership, or other affluent jobs.
Sociopathy has been regarded as universal and timeless, but interestingly enough, is more prevalent in some cultures than others. In Taiwan studies show that the percentage of people with antisocial personality disorder ranges from .03 percent to 0.14 percent, compared to the United States which has an approximate average of 4 percent (or one in twenty five people). The popular belief proposed by Robert Hare is that the United States is actually allowing, helping, and even valuing some of the traits of sociopathy. Another way this theory was stated was that the guiltless manipulation of other people blends with social expectations to a greater degree than in China or other more group-centered societies. But that begs the question, if we have so many ...
... middle of paper ...
...are few better environments for sociopaths, with false personas, fake emotions, being admired, being publicized, Hollywood is perhaps one of the largest breeding grounds for sociopaths in America. I believe one of the best examples of sociopathy in Hollywood, though not officially diagnosed, would be Charlie Sheen, he shows almost all the symptoms: drug use, domestic abuse, repeated deceit, feeling superior to everyone, failed relationships, aggravations, trouble with the law, Charlie Sheen, while not currently diagnosed as a sociopath, is one of the best examples of sociopaths in America.
There’s no cure for Antisocial Personality disorder, it is simply a reality we face in modern American society, and although these people function differently, and sometimes dangerously in society today, they have become a powerful and integrated part of American Society.
For this reader response I decided to read “World Gone Mad” by Derrick Jensen. This reading was about society and it’s sociopathic, and psychopathic tendencies. I agree with the author's point of view almost completely. In his writing he mentions how the government and the people who are in charge of society share a lot of the same traits of socio/psychopaths. He did this by siting in his work the definitions of the Sociopaths, and psychopaths with examples of them as a stereotypes and in the world of the government. For example, he starts off his work talking about how the “go green” commercials and movements make him upset because of how the world currently is, and how they have ways of “fixing it”. The way that they are fixing it though, is just like putting a rug over how we are destroying the world.
...not function without an element of ruthlessness and a need to win. Could any capitalist be called a sociopath? In my opinion I believe that while this non-fiction novel does enlighten us to some degree on the nature and behaviors of sociopaths, it is not a myopic and in depth study worth putting any faith-based investments into. Also, it fails to answer a major and simple question: what does the future hold for these ‘monsters’? Will the population of sociopaths increase exponentially, until it is they who must destroy us for being the minority? Or are their numbers diminishing due to social awareness about this condition? Is sociopathy purely biological in nature or does this personality disorder also stem from personal experience or otherwise? In short, this book raises more questions that in answers, resulting in a disappointing and unfulfilled search for truth.
The sense of entitlement that comes with sociopathy is astonishing to those who abide by the social laws and conventions of our culture. Where does the entitlement come from? It stems from an underlying sense of rage. Sociopaths feel deeply angry and resentful underneath their often-charming exterior, and this rage fuels their sense that they have the right to act out in whichever way they happen to choose at the time. Everything is up for grabs with sociopaths and nothing is off limits. (Meyers)
Moran, P. "The epidemiology of antisocial personality disorder ." Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 34.5 (1999): 231-242. Print.
Every few years there are disturbing, yet fascinating headlines: “BTK killer: Hiding in plain sight” or “Police discover at least 10 victims at Anthony Sowell's home”; but what would allow an individual to commit the crimes they did? In cases like these there is usually a common link: Antisocial Personality disorder. It is an unknown disorder to most of the population which is why there are so many questions to be answered, the main ones being what is antisocial personality disorder and how does it effect patient and society as a whole? To answer these questions one needs an accurate background picture of the disorder.
Peoples ideal definitions of a sociopath often mislead them. A sociopath is classified as a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience.Sociopaths are not as uncommon as most people think Your average neighbor may even have the urge to kill and dismember bodies. This being said, not all sociopaths take the leap to murder and often keep their thoughts to themselves . Sociopaths have completely different personality traits and characteristics than the normal human being. They often have disregard for the rights of others, failure to feel remorse or guilt and even tendency to display violent behavior and emotional outbursts. Even with these obvious characteristics some people keep their sociopathic tendencies hidden in shame or guilt of these feelings, but the people that embrace their sociopathy are some of the most well known American serial killers to this day.
First a little terminology history, so it may clear up any “sociopath”/”psychopath” confusion. In the early days, doctors who worked with mental patients started to notice that some patients who appeared outwardly fine had what the doctors called a “moral depravity” or “moral insanity,” in that they seemed to have no sense of ethics or the feelings of other people. The “psychopath” term was first given to these people around 1900. The word changed to “sociopath” around the 1930’s to emphasize the affliction they do to society (Hirstein 1.)
First, Anti Social Personality Disorder is a mental condition that can cause a person to think and behave in a destructive manner. “Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is characterized by a pattern of socially irresponsible, exploitative, and guiltless behavior. ASPD is associated with co-occurring mental health and addictive disorders and medical comorbidity.” (Black, 2015) People with ASPD have a habit of antagonizing and manipulating others but also have no awareness for what is right and what is wrong. One tends to disregard the feelings and wishes of others. “ASPD typically begins during childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood.” (Kivi, 2012) ASPD usually is noticed around 8 years old, but it is categorized as a conduct disorder. Though children can be treated in what doctors may think is ASPD, children will not be completely diagnosed with the title of ASPD until at least 18 years of age. In time those with ASPD behavior usually end up turning criminal.
Anti-Social Personality Disorder is a classified personality disorder in which a person, sometimes referred to as a “psychopath”, has a lack of empathy, an increased chance of acting violently towards others, and a complete disregard for authority and punishment. Prevalent features and symptoms include: shallow emotions, irresponsibility, mistrust of others, reckless thrill-seeking, disrespect for the law, prone to lash out with physical violence, harmful impulsiveness, arrogance, manipulative, greedy, lack of kindness or compassion, disrespect for others, and dishonesty (Psychology Today, n.d.). A main factor of this disorder is the inability to process, interpret, and display emotion, even fear. An example is that most criminals with this disorder respond drastically different to their sentencing than normal. They seem relaxed and unable to process it on an emotional level. They are also fully aware of what they are doing, and have no sense of distorted reality, or remorse which classifies them as sane people. They also have neurotransmitter deficiencies in the brain, such as reduced serotonin and dopamine (Freedman & Verdun-Jones, 2010). The overall population of people having this disorder is a small amount, about 3% and higher in prisons and abuse clinics which is around 70%. Also, because of their constant involvement in violence, most people diagnosed with this disorder die by violent means such as suicide and homicide (Internet Mental Health, n.d.).
Antisocial Personality Disorder is a fairly new diagnosis in the field of abnormal psychology, but psychopathic and antisocial traits have been discussed since the early nineteenth century (Seabrook, 2008). The French surgeon Philippe Pinel first described Psychopathy in 1801 under the term “mania without delirium” (Seabrook, 2008). Shortly after, American surgeon Benjamin Rush wrote about “moral derangement” which described antisocial behaviors as being neither delusional nor psychotic (Seabrook, 2008). Rush also noted that these traits appear early in life (Seabrook, 2008). The term “sociopath” was not used until 1930 when it was coined by psychologist G. E. Patridge (Hart, 1995). The most groundbreaking and infl...
Ogloff, J. R. (2006). Psychopathy/antisocial personality disorder conundrum. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, (40), 519-528.
Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Gacy are all well-known names of the most ruthless criminals America has seen. We like to think that these people are rare, genetic mutations with unfortunate situations that lead them to where they are, or at least that’s what we hope. In reality, one in twenty-five people are capable of doing the most heinous, unthinkable, despicable actions to fellow humans without a pinch of guilt. How, you might ask? They lack the “7th sense”, consciousness, according to Dr. Martha Stout, author of “The Sociopath Next Door”. Clinical Psychologist, Stout, has spent the past 25 years at Harvard University studying these socialized psychopaths. With their undeniable charm, impulsivity, cunning manipulation,
The purpose of this article is to examine in detail the mental health disorder known as antisocial personality disorder. Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a mental disorder that is characterized by “a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others” (Hatchett, 2015, p. 17). The questions that this paper seeks to answer are, how does ASPD affect individuals and their functioning, what are the potential caused of the disorder, what kinds of therapeutic approaches are there for treatment, and what empirical support is there for the effectiveness of those treatments. One thing that must be understood when doing this research is the difference between Psychopathy and ASPD. Some have the opinion that
Antisocial Personality Disorder, also informally known as psychopathy/sociopathy, is a disorder where people elicit manipulative behaviors and lack morals. This includes disregard for rules, violence, superficial charm, promiscuity, a superiority complex, and difficulty forming attachments. This is said to be caused by genetics as well as modeling, or watching other people perform this kind of behavior. 3.3% of Americans are diagnosed with Antisocial Personality disorder. It’s 70% more common in males than females and is seen greatly in
In this paper I will be discussing the causes, symptoms, treatments and cures of the psychological disorder called Antisocial personality disorder. Antisocial personality disorder is also known as sociopathy. Sociopathy is a mental condition where someone continuously shows that they are not able to tell the difference between right and wrong. They also chose to ignore the feelings and rights of others they come in contact with. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to be the antagonizer, manipulate and treat others unkindly and seem to have no feelings of remorse because this disorder defeats the personals morals. They are incapable of containing guilt or remorse for their behaviors. Individuals who have antisocial