Antisocial Personality Disorder And Psychopathy - 1777 Words

What is Antisocial Personality Disorder? Antisocial Personality Disorder is a disorder that is characterized by a long-standing pattern of disregard for other people’s rights, often crossing the line and violating those rights. A person with Antisocial Personality Disorder often feels little or no empathy toward other people, and doesn’t see the problem in bending or breaking the law for their own needs or wants. The disorder usually begins in childhood or as a teen and continues into adulthood. Individuals with Antisocial Personality Disorder frequently lack empathy and tend to be heartless, distrustful, and condescending of the feelings, rights, and sufferings of others. They are also known to be egotistical. (Bressert, Retrieved on†¦show more content†¦Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure. Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead. Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults. Reckless d isregard for safety of self or others. Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations. Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another. There should also be signs of a conduct disorder in the individual as a child, whether or not it was ever diagnosed by a professional. Only adults 18 years or older can be diagnosed with this disorder. (Bressert, Retrieved on February 24, 2016, from) . Another diagnostic tool is The Hare Psychopathy Checklist. Originally designed to evaluate people accused or convicted of crimes, the check list consists of a 20 symptoms. When the checklist is executed, the total score shows how closely the individual matches the score of a typical psychopath. Each of the twenty items is given a score of 0, 1, or 2. A typical psychopath