1. Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
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Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is a personality disorder that is commonly characterized by a lack of regard for socially acceptable behavior. Those who get diagnosed with ASPD have also been found to engage in risky, aggressive, and impulsive behaviors, as well as showing a lack of empathy. Sometimes, this behavior associated with ASPD leads to criminal behavior, according to some sources, and can damage a person's relationships both personal and professional.
2. Traits of a Sociopath
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Interestingly, doctors and medical professionals now tend to avoid the use of the term 'Sociopath' in clinical settings, opting instead for the term 'Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)'. And for a person to be diagnosed with this disorder, they will likely display certain traits that characterize ASPD. These include a lack of empathy for others, impulsive, aggressive, and manipulative behavior, as well as being dishonest, showing a lack of remorse, and not learning from mistakes, amongst other traits.
3. High-functioning sociopaths
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Interestingly, some people with ASPD actually do seem to have better than average social skills, and rather than standing out as you would expect from some of the traits listed above. In fact, it has been found that those who are described as high-functioning sociopaths have a well-developed ability to fit into society, for example, holding down a job and holding down relationships. It is said that they can mimic expected emotions and behaviors and this hides their ASPD traits.
4. Low-functioning sociopaths
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On the other hand, those who have been described as low-functioning sociopaths tend to really struggle to mimic these expected emotions, behaviors, and connections with others. This might mean that they find it difficult to hold down personal and professional relationships, and they might struggle at work, as well as certain behaviors like impulsivity, aggression, and manipulation, being more overt.
5. "Cluster B" Personality Disorders
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According to various studies, ASPD affects 1-4% of the US population, with men being more at risk for it than women. It has been found to have similar characteristics to what is referred to as "Cluster B" Personality Disorders, including Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD). However, if we look at these characteristics closely, we find that ASPD has some quite meaningful distinctions.
6. Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)
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An overblown sense of self-importance tends to characterize a person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). This means that, often, a person who has NPD truly believes that their intelligence is somewhat superior to anyone else in the room. This unreasonably high sense of their own importance means that they often seek a lot of attention in a bid for people to admire them. However, the meaningful distinction between NPD and ASPD is that those with NPD tend to be much less aggressive than those with ASPD.
7. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
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A person with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) has been found to have very similar traits as an individual with ASPD. This mental illness that is BPD tends to, like ASPD, severely affect a person's ability to handle their emotions which can have huge impacts on their day-to-day lives. For example, their behavior might be more impulsive and can affect a person's sense of self-worth. Like ASPD, BPD can also affect people's relationships negatively.
8. Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD)
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Histrionic Personality Disorders (HPD) are also characterized by unstable emotions, just like ASPD, BPD, and NPD. Like NPD, a person with HPD has a distorted sense of self and often engages in inappropriate behavior to gain attention because of their commonly overwhelming need to be noticed. Other traits of an individual with HPD might include seductive and dangerous behavior as well as being easily influenced by others.
9. Regulating Emotions
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Biological studies have found that people with ASPD might have unusual levels of Serotonin in their brains. Some studies into the environments of individuals growing up found that childhood trauma or abuse increased the risk of them developing ASPD later on in life, usually by the age of 15. With these studies in mind, research has also found that those with ASPD tend to have anger impulses and dysregulation of their emotions.
10. Intense anger & rage
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Clinical studies have found that individuals with ASPD tend to be very prone to big outbursts of anger or rage. And this can be incredibly intense, with the individual being very quick to yell or become aggressive, and sometimes even violent. This might happen when they get upset or do not get what they want or need from other people. Some studies have even found that those with ASPD tend to display the highest levels of pathological anger than any other mental health issue.
11. Inability to feel certain emotions
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Despite being able to feel anger, rage, or sadness quite intensely, individuals with ASPD have often been found to be less likely to experience emotions such as fear, dissatisfaction, empathy, or remorse. Some describe this inability to feel these emotions as experiencing a numbness instead. And like BPD, those with ASPD might experience this numbness as a result of the high intensity of other emotions like anger and rage.
12. Recognizing emotions in others
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One study found that individuals with ASPD tend to struggle to be able to recognize certain emotions in others which can cause their behavior to be inappropriate and perhaps negatively impact the people around them. However, the same study did find that these individuals with this personality disorder were actually able to recognize anger in the facial expressions of other people more quickly and accurately than any other emotion.
13. A lack of empathy
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A lack of empathy is a common characteristic shared by those with ASPD which means that they might struggle to understand other people's emotions and mental states. Some studies, however, have found that it may be possible for those with ASPD to experience empathy but they may choose either to not use it or only use it to manipulate other people. Some people may need help understanding empathy and how to use it appropriately as a lack of it can negatively impact relationships.
14. A lack of remorse
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Sometimes, a person who has antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) might show a complete lack of remorse, regret, or concern about other people's distress. Even when this distress is caused by themselves through the exploitation, manipulation, or violation of the rights of others. This lack of responsibility and disregard for normal social behavior can, of course, negatively impact a person's relationships.
15. Impulsivity
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This challenging personality disorder is characterized by impulsive behavior, that can often be irresponsible and/or criminal. This impulsivity also points to the difficulties people living with ASPD have with forward planning or considering the consequences of their actions for themselves or others. Some examples might include suddenly moving house, ending relationships, or resigning from jobs.
16. Unable to hold down relationships
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Another daily struggle for those with an antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is how their condition affects their actions and regard for the rights of others. Impulsive behavior, a lack of empathy and remorse, and outbursts of anger or rage can really make it difficult for people to hold down any of their meaningful relationships, whether that's at home personally, or professionally at work.
17. Problems finishing school
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A person with ASPD might also struggle to finish school, as their personality disorder causes them to engage in antisocial or aggressive behavior. This might result in them being expelled from school. Their impulsive behavior might also make them leave school of their own accord, not thinking ahead of the consequences this impulse might have for their future.
18. Failure to hold down a job
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Some of the behaviors associated with ASPD could damage a person's relationships at work too, meaning that their behavior may make it likely that they could be dismissed from their role at work. As well as the possibility of actually being dismissed, there might also be the issue of their impulsive behavior, meaning that they leave their job without another one lined up or a plan of what to do next.
19. Financial issues
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Those with ASPD are also at risk of developing financial issues. Most obviously, this could be a result of not being able to hold down a job that earns them a paycheck. There might also be issues with impulsive financial decisions without a thought for the consequences on themselves or on other people around them. Studies have found that those with ASPD have trouble with debt in their lifetimes.
20. Criminal behavior
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Studies have found that, quite often, people living with ASPD have a tendency to engage in criminal behavior. ASPD is a particularly challenging personality disorder that often leads people to irresponsible and impulsive behavior and many living with the disorder have been found to have a lack of guilt or remorse for their actions, meaning that they may violate the law and become criminals.
21. Drug and alcohol misuse
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Research into people living with ASPD has found that substance abuse is a common occurrence and often used as a coping mechanism. Healthcare professionals have said that when this disorder cooccurs with drug and alcohol abuse, it can be incredibly complicated to treat. This is because drugs and alcohol have been found to exacerbate the symptoms of ASPD, particularly impulsivity, aggressiveness, risk-taking, and a lack of regard for others.
22. Dealing with trauma
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Those living with ASPD are more likely to have experienced trauma in their childhood and early life. Although it is not known what exactly causes ASPD, some researchers believe that both genetics or childhood trauma like abuse or neglect could play a role. This is because the research has found that many people living with ASPD have experienced a difficult upbringing.
23. Trust issues
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Due to the likeliness of childhood trauma in the past of people living with ASPD, it is likely that they also experience trust issues. Anyone with a particularly harsh and difficult upbringing is, of course, more likely to have trust issues when they become an adult. On the flip side, they might also have to deal with other people's trust issues as they may struggle to trust them because of their behavior.
24. Memory deficits
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Research has also found that those living with ASPD tend to recall memories differently than those not affected by the disorder. One study even found that those living with ASPD were less likely to be able to recall single specific events and instead were more able to recall memories that relate to multiple events. Memory may not be the only aspect affected by the personality disorder, in fact, studies have shown that those with ASPD also have deficits in inhibition control.
25. The harm caused to others
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Another daily struggle for people who are living with ASPD might be the harm they cause others around them. They might not struggle with this themselves because of the common trait of not feeling remorse or guilt for their actions, but it might be a daily struggle for their loved ones as they attempt to understand their disorder. And due to the possible actions of someone with ASPD, the strain on their relationships might be too great and they might even completely break down and cease to exist.
26. Getting people to understand their diagnosis of ASPD
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When a person receives their diagnosis of ASPD, there have been instances where some wish that they hadn't told their loved ones. This is because of most people's limited understanding of personality disorders. A trip down Google Lane has the potential to add to their limited understanding too, with many sources outlining how people with ASPD are completely incapable of love and empathy which can have an impact on how they view the person with the diagnosis.
27. Living with the stigma
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Mental health charities outline the difficulties people face when they receive their personality disorder diagnosis. It can be particularly challenging due to the negative associations they might have with personality disorders. In fact, some people even disagree with the existence of them, particularly in a medical sense. And this can make it really challenging for people to access the support that they need.
28. What is daily life like for those with ASPD?
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Daily life for those with ASPD can vary, but it has often been observed that people living with it tend to struggle with their relationships, whether it's developing them or maintaining them. These could be struggles with both personal and professional relationships which can, in turn, negatively affect a person's social and professional life. They might struggle to hold down a job which could cause financial issues, and sometimes, certain behaviors that lead to arrests can create an ongoing struggle with the law. Furthermore, those with ASPD tend to live with the stigma of the mental illness, with some not even recognizing it as a mental health issue and instead labeling individuals as evil and impossible to treat.
29. Can symptoms of ASPD improve?
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Studies have found that symptoms of ASPD often tend to improve with age. It has been observed that symptoms of this personality disorder tend to peak during a person's teenage years and twenties with symptoms becoming lessened by the age of 40. Furthermore, men are also more prone to being diagnosed with ASPD than women. It is not known exactly why there is a difference between the male and female sex but some speculate that it could develop as a result of both genetics and traumatic childhood experiences.
30. A word about ASPD
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Remember, ASPD is a serious mental illness, and the understanding is that there lies a consistent lack of regard for others which has often been found to affect an individual's behavior, making it impulsive or irresponsible. But despite there being cases where a lack of empathy, and violent and criminal behavior is recorded, it is important to note that not everyone with ASPD is aggressive or violent. It is also important to note that the struggle to maintain relationships doesn't actually mean that people are incapable of feeling love and empathy. In fact, one study found that it is still possible for people with ASPD to feel these, particularly for a select few people such as their children, partners, or other close family members. Unfortunately, studies have found that the stigma that ASPD holds, such as not everyone recognizing it as a mental health issue, can affect the help that people with the disorder can and should access.