Sociopathic personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a personality disorder listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the handbook used to diagnose mental disorders most frequently. APD is generally considered to be the same as, or similar to, the disorder that was previously known as psychopathic or sociopathic personality disorder.
It is characterised by a number of symptoms:
- Failure to conform to social norms or lawful behaviors
- Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure
- Irresponsibility, impulsivity or failure to plan ahead
- Irritability and aggression, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults
- Reckless disregard for safety of self or others
- Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another.
Some research has shown that individuals with APD are indifferent to the threat of physical pain, and show no indications of fear when so threatened; this may explain their apparent disregard for the consequences of their actions, and their lack of empathy for the suffering of others.
Although criminal activity is not a necessary requirement for the diagnosis, these individuals often encounter legal difficulties due to their disregard
for societal standards and the rights of others. Therefore, many of these
individuals can be found in prisons. However, it should be noted that
criminal activity does not automatically warrant a diagnosis of APD.
Nor, necessarily, does APD imply that a person is necessarily exhibiting visible criminal behavior. It is hypothesized that many high achievers exhibit APD characteristics.
The recent, controversial science of sociobiology attempts to explain animal and human behavior and social structures, largely in terms of evolutionarily stable strategies. For example, in one well-known 1995 paper by Linda Mealey, chronic antisocial/criminal behavior is explained as a combination of two such strategies.
The DSM-IV estimates that 3% of men and 1% of women have some form of antisocial personality disorder. Although the term "psychopathy" is not recognised as a formal diagnosis in DSM-IV, it is nonetheless more familiar to the layman than "APD". In contemporary research and clinical practice, APD is most commonly assessed with the Hare Psychopathy Checklist- Revised (PCL-R), which is a clinical rating scale with 20 items. Each of the items in the PCL-R is scored on a three-point scale according to specific criteria through file information and a semi-structured interview. The items are as follows:
Interpersonal dimension
- Glibness/superficial charm
- Grandiose sense of self-worth
- Pathological lying
- Conning/manipulative
- Lack of remorse or guilt
- Shallow affect
- Callous/lack of empathy
- Failure to accept responsibility for own actions
Affective dimension
- Need for stimulation/-proneness to boredom
- Parasitic lifestyle
- Poor behavioral controls
- Early behavioral problems
- Lack of realistic, long-term goals
- Impulsivity
- Irresponsibility
- Juvenile delinquency
- Revocation of conditional release
Behavioral dimension
- Promiscuous sexual behavior
- Many short-term marital relationships
- Criminal versatility
Score 0 if the trait is absent, 1 if it is possibly or partially present and 2 if it is present. The item scores are summed to yield a total score ranging from 0 to 40 which is then considered to reflect the degree to which they resemble the prototypical psychopath. A score > 30 supports a diagnosis of psychopathy. Interesting, forensic studies of prison populations have reported average scores of around 22 on PCL-R; control "normal" populations show an average score of around 5.
A note of caution: the test must be administered by a trained mental health practitioner under controlled conditions for it to have any validity
Fictional psychopaths
Psychopaths in popular fiction and movies generally possess a number of standard characteristics which are not necessarily as common amongst real-life psychopaths. The traditional "Hollywood psychopath" is likely to exhibit some or all of the following traits.
- High intelligence, and a preference for intellectual stimulation (music, fine art etc.)
- A somewhat vain, stylish, almost "cat-like" demeanor.
- Prestige, or a successful career or position.
- A calm, calculating and always-in-control attitude.
It is this last feature which is probably most at odds with the typical real-life psychopath: an individual with APD is much more likely to be impulsive, disorganised and short-tempered rather than the smooth-talking, self-disciplined character portrayed by Anthony Hopkins or Kiefer Sutherland.
In popular culture, "psychopath" is often used interchangeably with "serial killer" (such as the characters in slasher films) though the terms are not synonymous. It is, however, true that 90% of serial killers are psychopaths.
Non fictional psycopaths
a documentary exploring the psyche of the corporation.
