Antisocial Personality Disorder Essay

444 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Introduction to sociopath vs psychopath essay

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is a mental condition in which a person has a long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting, or violating the rights of others- often leading to extremely violent/criminal activity. A Psychopath is a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior, whereas a Sociopath is a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience. Though both Psychopaths and Sociopaths suffer from ASPD, both are very different in terms of how their disorder is formed, their demeanor, and their criminal perspectives but are relatively similar emotionally and their want to commit illegal crimes (“ASPD: MedlinePlus Medical …show more content…

Psychopaths are born with temperamental differences, such as impulsiveness, cortical under-arousal, and fearlessness, that normally lead to risky behavior and the inability to conform to social norms; they are also emotionally numb. Sociopaths develop their sociopathy through negative sociological/environmental factors, such as parental neglect, poverty, delinquent peers or family members, extremely high or low intelligence, etc., and have normal temperaments; they are not as emotionally numb. (“Psychopaths vs Sociopaths” chart). Psychopaths have a high predisposition to violence while it varies from the different types of sociopaths. Both sociopaths and psychopaths can form relationships with other people, but a psychopath will only be involved in relationships that benefit them whereas a sociopath can feel empathy with others close to them and can have a normal relationship. However, the impulsive levels between the two are very different, especially since psychopaths have a generally low level while sociopaths have higher levels causing them to commit violent acts (“Psychopaths vs Sociopaths”

Show More
Related

  • Without Conscience Chapter Summary

    1626 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Psychopath And Sociopath

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Development Dynamics And Forensics By Lawrence Miller

    1712 Words  | 4 Pages

    Despite the controversy circled with psychopathy within the courts, the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, or psychopathy is never successful. Instead it serves as a determining factor for the prison sentence since psychopathic offenders are more likely to offend again and not be deterred (Siegel &

    Read More

  • The Noble Savage Turned Ignoble

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Soulless Monsters: A Closer Look at Antisocial Personality Disorder.

    1841 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Antisocial Personality Disorder: A Sociopath's Brain

    2218 Words  | 5 Pages

    Ogloff, J. R. (2006). Psychopathy/antisocial personality disorder conundrum. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, (40), 519-528.

    Read More

  • Understanding Antisocial Personality Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Personality Disorder And Antisocial Personality Disorder

    1722 Words  | 4 Pages

    Psychopaths are intelligent, appealing, and good at copying emotions seen from others. They pretend to care and may sometimes even act like they are there for you, which is all a means to get what they want.

    Read More

  • Donald Gaskins Personality Disorder

    1402 Words  | 3 Pages

    A well-known personality disorder is psychopathy. Psychopathy’s shortened term “psycho” is often used as a slang term to mean crazy. Psychopathy is a real issue caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Psychopathic people have traits “common to some serial murderers, including sensation seeking, a lack of remorse or guilt, impulsivity, the need for control, and predatory behavior. These traits and behaviors are consistent with the psychopathic personality disorder” (Morton). Psychopathic tendencies are most common among killers. Although, “serial killers suffer from a variety of personality disorders, including psychopathy, anti-social personality, and others” (Morton). With psychopathy in a serial killer they feel they have a valid and justifiable reason for killing three or more people. With psychopathic killers feel their motives make their killing okay. Serial killers have “many other motivations for serial murders including anger, thrill, financial gain, and attention seeking” (Morton). A common motive for serial killers is revenge. They feel that someone did them wrong, much like a person who was abused as a child. They feel they have a valid excuse for murdering the person that abused them or substitutes if they find that object of their rage unreachable. Another common motive is simply anger. With anger it is more often than not that they do not have a target. They are just angry and are willing to kill anybody to cope with it. Antisocial personality disorder is often in people who show “a lack of remorse and/or guilt, shallow affect, a lack of empathy, and failure to accept responsibility” (Morton). Antisocial personality disorder is similar to psychopathic personality disorder yet, it remains different. The Behavior Analysis Unit at the Federal Bureau of Investigation stated, “Psychopathy is a personality disorder

    Read More

  • Nature or Nurture for Determining Psychopathy

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is a psychopath? What type of person can be characterized by this and how do they come to be? But first before we can answer these questions we must first know what a psychopath is. Psychopaths are people suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behaviors; clinically it is a person who has a lack of what we would consider a conscience. Psychopaths are seen to suffer from a lack of empathy because of psychological, genetic and environmental factors. Scientists have many theories concerning psychopaths. Scientist do not have a definite clear cut answer on what is the cause for psychopathy but they have many ideas; nature and the nurture of the person. Nature is the genes that the person carries. The nurture of the person when they were a child is simply means how they were treated when they were growing up and/or how they were raised. Some scientists even consider it a possibility that it could be a mixture of the two.

    Read More

  • Antisocial Personality Disorder Research Paper

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    “A lot of doctors and other mental health professionals just throw up their arms, and other mental health professionals just throw up their arms, and say, “What’s the point of even identifying antisocial personality disorder? What are we gonna do with these people?” said Donald W. Black, M.D, a professor of psychiatry. According to Wikipedia, Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for, or violation of, the rights of others. People with Antisocial Personality Disorder vary from serial killers, murders, thefts, and rapists. Thus making Antisocial personality disorder one of the most feared disorder.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Movie Girl Interrupted

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Psychopaths

    1213 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • What Makes a Psychopath?

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    Depictions of psychopaths today have become exaggerated based off of what you see in movies and films. The psychopaths in movies are believed to be dangerous or have an anti-social personality disorder. Not all psychopaths can be defined in that manner. Psychopaths are identified as people who are emotionally unstable. They are ultimately suffering from a chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior. There have been studies ultimately wondering if a psychopath is born, or is it raised? Genetics and environment combine to produce conditions that create psychopathology. By paying attention to environmental variables we can potentially reduce the amount of people who become dangerous psychopaths.

    Read More

  • Antisocial Personality Disorder Case Study

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

More about Antisocial Personality Disorder Essay

Open Document