User:JennahO/Antisocial personality disorder

Here I will be making additions to the preexisting “Antisocial Personality Disorder” article:

Symptoms and behaviors

Disregard for safety and lack of responsibility

An individual with the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder tends to cause intentional harm to humans or animals. Therefore, they are willingly and consciously aware of their performed actions with no remorse or concern about possible outcomes associated with how victims are mistreated (which shows recklessness). In contrast, an individual who harms a victim with negligence is doing so because they may be unaware of the risks they are taking and do not understand what consequences will be followed when performing harmful actions. Similarly, individuals with a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder may deliberately show irresponsibility because they tend to place blame on others when they have difficulty internally acknowledging their faults, and instead show an outward expression that redirects the attention of their mistreatment onto someone or something else.

The cause of concern for said behaviors or people with antisocial personality disorder tends to stem from the belief that although people may be diagnosed with this mental illness, they still have the ability to understand and redirect their behavior, but simply choose to act in an opposite manner. Knowing this information about individuals with antisocial personality disorder is not intended to place blame or create excuses for behavior, but simply helps understand the mindset that individuals with antisocial personality disorder are in. Because environmental factors are believed to be one of the main causes of antisocial personality disorder, it’s important to note that those who have ASPD may have lacked positive influence or example in behaving responsibly, may not see much personal gain in behaving in a way that’s socially acceptable, or may have little toleration for the reactions or negative emotions associated with those who shed light on their actions. When there is a stigma associated with an individual with ASPD, the environmental effects of this may cause symptoms or behavior in individuals with ASPD to worsen.

Causes

Childhood trauma

Studies have shown that non-abused (especially in childhood) individuals are less likely to have ASPD. Forms of childhood trauma/abuse that victims with ASPD have encountered include physical and sexual abuse, neglect, coercion, abandonment or separation from caregivers, violence in a community, acts of terror, bullying, or life threatening incidents. As seen in other forms of mental illness such as: post-traumatic stress disorder (symptoms of upsetting/terrifying memories of traumatic events), reactive attachment disorder (little to no response regarding emotional triggers), disinhibited social engagement disorder (roaming off with people you don’t know without caregivers being informed), dissociative identity disorder (disconnection from self or environment), etc. it’s apparent that safety in childhood is crucial for avoidance of a list of many mental illnesses and a greater chance of a healthy future for individuals. There have also been correlations with the listed mental illnesses, such as: individuals with PTSD have higher rates of ASPD.

Parenting styles

Parenting styles are related to the environmental influences children experience that can have an impact on their diagnosis of ASPD. The four parenting styles demonstrate the main approaches of raising children and their outcomes that lead into adulthood.

Authoritarian- Authoritarian parenting styles involve more strict rules than any other parenting style with higher consequences if rules are disobeyed. Authoritarian parents set high expectations for their children and may cause children to later develop rebellious behavior, low self-esteem, aggression, and resentfulness.

Permissive- Permissive parenting styles involve a more relaxed attitude towards rules that are less enforced than any other parenting style. Permissive parents tend to allow more freedom for children to make their own decisions which can lead to impulsivity, lack of self-control, and a lack in acknowledgment of boundaries later in life.

Neglectful- Neglectful parenting styles tend to have little to no rules for children to follow and may even withhold basic needs for child development. Parents who display neglectful behavior are less involved than with any other parenting style and can cause children to develop mental health issues, a withdrawal from emotions, and delinquent behavior

Authoritative- Authoritative parenting styles involve guidelines and expectation as well as support and understanding. Authoritative parents tend to have more balance within their parenting style compared to the other parenting styles and parent in a way that children understand not only what the rules are, but why they’re important. Individuals who were raised by authoritative parents tend to be more self-confident, responsible, successful, and have a greater chance at developing positive coping skills.

Having a healthy, safe, stable/consistent, understanding, and attentive parenting style in an environment with positive role models and influences in home as well as out in the community help to ensure more positive behavior for children and more success later in life.

Asocial vs. ASPD

Oftentimes there can be confusion about what ASPD is compared to being asocial. ASPD is characterized as a disorder and having a disregard for other people. Whereas, individuals who are characterized as being asocial, tend to lack interest in social engagement possibly due to their personality trait of being introverted. Individuals who are asocial tend to prefer being out of social groups or prefer smaller groups of people to interact with. However, being asocial is not a personality disorder and tends to be more voluntary than ASPD.