Antisocial personality disorder

People with antisocial personality disorder tend to be impulsive and unstable in their behavior, and also have trouble forming attachment relationships.

There had been a series of random attacks on passers-by, and each time the comments were followed by people saying: "This is a sociopath. Normal people can't do this."

We don't know whether these criminals are sociopaths or not, and we're not going to go into any more analysis here, but it's worth talking about today: Sociopaths, what exactly is "sociopaths"? Are sociopaths born?

Do you know anything about sociopaths?

Before we talk about antisocial personality, we need to understand the concept of personality.

"Personality" is similar to what we often call personality. It is the synthesis of all psychological characteristics of an individual with orientation, essence and stability (interest, hobby, ability, temperament, character, value, etc.). It is a fixed behavior pattern of a person and the customary way of treating people and doing things in daily activities.

If a person's personality disorder occurs, they will suffer from pain, and may bring great harm to others and the society.

"Antisocial personality" is arguably the most dangerous of the 10 different types of personality disorders defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association, the leading authority in psychiatry.

Of course, although we may occasionally encounter someone or something like a "sociopath" in our lives, the reality is that there are very strict criteria for diagnosing a personality disorder

In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, there are six diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder:

1. Impaired personality function: both self-functioning (e.g., self-esteem, egocentricity, etc.) and social functioning (e.g., inability to empathize, difficulty in establishing intimate relationships, etc.) are impaired;

2. Psychopathic personality characteristics: antagonism and hostility (such as manipulating others, cheating, ruthlessness and indifference, aggression) and disinhibition behaviors (such as lack of responsibility, impulsivity, pursuit of stimulation and risk taking);

3. The above damage conditions and characteristics appear stably for a long time and do not change according to different situations and objects;

4. The above impairments and characteristics are not considered to be related to the age, stage or socio-cultural background of an individual's development;

5. The impairment and characteristics mentioned above are not caused by a single disease (e.g., severe headache) or substance abuse (e.g., drugs, pharmaceuticals);

6. The target must be over 18 years of age.

In simple terms, the hallmark features of a sociopath are extreme narcissism and self-centeredness, a lack of empathy and remorse, and an inability to form close relationships with others.

Due to the impairment of social functions such as inability to empathize and establish relationships with others, sociopaths are unable to feel the pain of others, let alone have compassion. Therefore, they can go to any lengths to achieve their goals, often committing lying, manipulating others, extreme indifference and other behaviors.

Disinhibited behavior will also make them despise all social rules, like to act in accordance with their own interests and fun, pursue adventure and excitement, habitually violate the rights and interests of others, and have no sense of responsibility. For example, some violent people, stealing addicts.

In a sociopath's world, you can say, there's no one else but you, there's no right or wrong, it's up to you to like it or not.

Are sociopaths born?

The exact cause of the formation of antisocial personality has not been determined, but the prevailing view is that it is related to the following factors:

1. Genetic factors

Genetic or biological factors play an important role in shaping personality.

The study found that the higher the incidence of antisocial personality in the family, the closer the blood relationship with the diagnosed relative, the greater the likelihood of the disease.

2. Abnormal brain function

In addition to genetic influences, changes in normal brain function caused by brain defects and damage during brain development may also increase the risk of antisocial personality formation.

Studies have found that people with antisocial personalities have a different cerebral cortex, with a lack of function in the part of the brain responsible for emotional perception, resulting in a slow or even no response to pain, pleasure, fear and other emotions.

As a result, sociopaths are unable to feel the pain of others and are accustomed to treating others like "objects."

3. Environmental factors

According to Martha Stott, a clinical psychiatrist at Harvard University, 50 percent of antisocial personality disorders are influenced by genetics, but the remaining half may be due to an unknown mix of environmental factors.

These environmental factors include family, society, school and so on.

For example, the inharmonious family relationship and wrong parenting style may make the child suffer mental trauma, thus leading to the distortion of character, and finally induce the emergence of antisocial personality.

It can be seen that the formation of antisocial personality is the result of the joint action of genetic and environmental factors. Whether a person with antisocial personality gene will become a dangerous criminal ultimately depends on the influence of the upbringing environment.

How to spot a sociopath in your life?

Martha Stott in her book When Conscience Sleeps: Identifying the Sociopath in Your Midst offers this statistic:

In Europe and the United States, the proportion of antisocial personality accounts for 4%, while in East Asia, where Confucian culture is upheld, the proportion is relatively low. Take Taiwan as an example, the proportion of antisocial personality in the population is about 0.03%-0.14%.

So, how can we tell if there's a sociopath in our midst?

Bill Eddy, an American psychotherapist, offers what he calls the "WEB approach" :

1. Observe each other's "WORDS"

Sociopaths tend to be glib and fast talkers, using extreme words and phrases.

At the same time, when they discover your weakness, they will try to manipulate you with words.

2. Feel your EMOTIONS

Sociopaths are arrogant and good at disguising themselves. They will make themselves look attractive, and you will often feel a mixture of fear, fascination, and sympathy towards them.

3. Pay attention to each other's BEHAVIOR.

If you keep watching, sociopaths often engage in strange behaviors that other people don't, such as cruelty to animals, bullying, and enjoying the pain of others.

The above three methods may not help you identify a sociopath, but they can at least help you better recognize the traits of a sociopath and reduce the risk as much as possible.

After all, sociopaths are hard to change, and sociopaths often don't think they need treatment, so if you encounter them, your best bet is to get away as quickly as possible.

Of course, if you suspect that your friend or relative may have antisocial personality disorder, in addition to taking appropriate preventive measures, you should gently suggest that they seek professional help for timely treatment.