Brian Sopko
University of Phoenix
Introduction
Antisocial personality disorder is a mental health condition in which a person has a long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting, or violating the rights of others. This behavior is often criminal. Habitual rule breaking and chronic disregard for sociolegal restraints are behavioral characteristics attributed to individuals who are labeled antisocial personality. Authors of the DSM-V deemphasized underlying traits and negative intentions and enumerated specific types of behavior seen as definitive of antisocial personality disorder. Diagnosis of pathologically nonconforming individuals was predicated firmly on documentation of a history of continuous and …show more content…
DSM-IV-TR
The APA 's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV-TR), defines antisocial personality disorder (in Axis II Cluster B):
A) There is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three or more of the following:
Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest; deception, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure; impulsivity or failure to plan …show more content…
D) The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or a manic episode (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). ASPD falls under the dramatic/erratic cluster of personality disorders (Wegner & co, 2010). In the DSM-5, the diagnosis antisocial personality disorder is kept, but it is no longer on another axis as the other mental disorders (APA, 2013).
Personality disorders seem to be caused by a combination of these genetic and environmental influences. Genetically, it is the temperament and the kind of personality a person is born with, and environmentally, it is the way in which a person grows up and the experiences they have had (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2013).
Environmental influences
Social and home environment are shown to contribute to the development of antisocial behavior. The parents of delinquent children are frequently proven to be alcoholics or criminals themselves, and the homes were often disrupted by divorce, separation, or the absence of one