Antisocial Personality Disorder - PubMed (original) (raw)

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In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.

2024 Feb 29.

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Antisocial Personality Disorder

Kristy A. Fisher et al.

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Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is an adult diagnosis characterized by a persistent pattern of disregard for and violation of others' rights, beginning in childhood or early adolescence. Individuals with ASPD often manipulate others for personal gain, lack empathy, and seldom feel remorse for their actions. They struggle to develop stable interpersonal relationships and experience significant impairments in social and occupational functioning throughout their lifetime. Legal issues frequently arise from their repeated failure to learn from the repercussions of their behavior, often involving criminal acts.

Antisocial behaviors exist on a spectrum. Conduct disorder, a condition specific to childhood, manifests as children and adolescents with a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior violating the fundamental rights of others or significant societal norms or rules. Children with conduct disorder exhibit aggression toward people or animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness, theft, or other serious rule violations. Variation exists in the trajectory of youth diagnosed with conduct disorder, with males more likely to progress to ASPD in adulthood than females.

Most children with conduct disorder will not develop ASPD, but conduct disorder is a risk factor for developing ASPD. Psychopathy is also a distinct clinical construct. Psychopathy is sometimes viewed as a subtype within the broader category of ASPD as a very severe form of ASPD with a heightened risk of violence. Robert Hare's Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) serves as an assessment tool designed to measure psychopathic traits, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of the unique characteristics of psychopathy and its connection to ASPD.

The roots of our understanding of antisocial personality disorder trace back to the 19th century when Philippe Pinel (1745-1826), a French physician, and Jean Etienne Dominique Esquirol (1772-1840), a French psychiatrist, made significant observations of individuals exhibiting behaviors consistent with ASPD. Chronic antisocial behaviors and a lack of empathy or remorse are notable features in their descriptions.

In the early 20th century, an American psychiatrist, Hervey Cleckley (1903-1984), and later Canadian psychologist, Robert Hare (1934 -), delved into the concept of psychopathy. Cleckley's seminal work, The Mask of Sanity (1941), laid the foundation for comprehending psychopathy as a distinct psychological construct. The terms "psychopath" and "sociopath" were often used interchangeably to describe individuals displaying traits associated with ASPD.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) initially introduced ASPD in the third edition (1980). Initial emphasis focused on persistent patterns of antisocial behaviors beginning in adolescence or early adulthood. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) revised the diagnostic criteria, highlighting the importance of behaviors that reflect a disregard for the rights of others, which persists through to the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition Text Revision (DSM-5-TR).

The DSM-5-TR divides personality disorders into clusters A, B, and C. Each cluster encompasses a distinct set of personality disorders with commonalities regarding symptoms, behaviors, and underlying psychological patterns.

  1. Cluster A
    1. Personality disorders with odd or eccentric characteristics
    2. Paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder
    3. Often exhibit social withdrawal, peculiar or paranoid beliefs, and difficulties forming close relationships
  2. Cluster B
    1. Comprises personality disorders with dramatic, emotional, or erratic behaviors
    2. Antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder (BPD), histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)
    3. Often display impulsive actions, emotional instability, and challenges in maintaining stable relationships
  3. Cluster C
    1. Personality disorders with anxious and fearful characteristics
    2. Avoidant personality disorder, dependent personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
    3. Often experience significant anxiety, fear of abandonment, and an excessive need for control or perfectionism

Although the historical context involves employing the cluster system, the literature does not consistently validate this approach when addressing personality disorders, revealing limitations.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Kristy Fisher declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Tyler Torrico declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Manassa Hany declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

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