Antisocial Personality Disorder Summary

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Antisocial personality disorder, or ASPD, is marked by a series of socially unacceptable behaviors. Donald Black, professor and author in the field of Social Sciences, discusses the development and characteristics of ASPD in his article “The Natural History of Antisocial Personality Disorder.” ASPD can be present in adults as well as children. In fact, the misbehavior initiates quite early on in development. However, a child with this disorder would be diagnosed with “conduct disorder” which is simply another term for ASPD used for minors. Comparatively, males and females are both susceptible to developing ASPD, yet significantly more occurrences have been observed in males than females. Furthermore, several characteristics of ASPD pertaining …show more content…

The study also established that these behaviors rarely went into remission. A follow-up study showed that more participants had remitted compared to the previous study, but they were still experiencing dilemmas in their work and personal lives as well as with substance abuse. The results also suggested that as ASPD sufferers age, their deviant behavior decreases. Some of these even remit. A follow-up study was conducted of an elderly man with ASPD who became a habitual delinquent early on in life. Despite the fact that he no longer participates in criminal activity, he still experiences other severe ASPD symptoms. Fortunately, one of the studies reported that the majority of children displaying symptoms of conduct disorder will not develop ASPD behaviors as adults. In continuance, individuals with ASPD who are married have shown improvement with their behaviors. This is believed to be attributed to the strong relationships they share with family members who motivate them to seek …show more content…

What I found out was nothing less than surprising. Antisocial personality disorder relates to psychology because it is an extreme psychological condition which causes those affected to experience a multitude of disturbing thoughts and behaviors. However, through research and observations, psychologists can be better equipped to handle these individuals and prevent them from negatively affecting the rest of society. I believe Black explained ASPD in his article superbly. Before reading Black’s article, I was not aware that antisocial personality disorder, sociopathy, and psychopathy were all interrelated; however, afterwards, I learned they all shared similar characteristics. Another part of this article that bewildered me was the fact that ASPD affects males more frequently than it does females. I also would have liked the debate of why this fact is true, yet I realize researchers probably are unaware of why ASPD affects males more often. Moreover, I find it interesting how the condition develops in early childhood instead of in the teenage years; however, this is sensible because it would be challenging for a child to lose their sense of empathy so quickly. Another detail I found unique is the lower estimates of remission rates among ASPD sufferers where a significant portion continue to behave in socially unacceptable ways. When I read that

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