Sociopathic Personality

Ed Gein, Elizabeth Bathory, Jeffery Dahmer, and Jack the Ripper are all famous serial killers that unmercifully killed their victims and by no coincidence were all victims themselves of antisocial personality disorder. The essential feature of the antisocial personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and the violation of, the rights of others. This pattern begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood (Dual Diagnosis and the Antisocial Personality Disorder). One heart-wrenching characteristic people with this disorder have is the lack of remorse for their victims or anyone involved. The exact causes of antisocial personality disorder are still unknown, but are believed to be hereditary or from the upbringing environment. "Antisocial personality disorder is often misunderstood by both professionals and laypeople (Treatment - Antisocial Personality Disorder)." Because of this reality, treatment can be difficult and often lead to failure. Antisocial personality disorder has numerous causes and loads of deceiving factors with very limited treatment.

One of the many symptoms of antisocial personality disorder is displaying aggression as a child. Most childhood aggression, whether name-calling, shoving, and minor fights, do not qualify for antisocial aggression. As for children with this disorder,

fist fights, intimidation, and milder acts of aggression escalate to dangerous heights. These kids eventually even use weapons in their fights to increase the level of assault. Cruelty to animals is another type of antisocial childhood aggression that connects with adult violence. Most with the disorder have histories of abusing, torturing, and even killing pets (Bad Boys to Bad Men 39).

Individuals with antisocial personality disorder learn how to evade responsibility for their offenses, and deceitfulness. Lying comes naturally to these patients, whose small fibs often grow into unbelievable stories and obvious dishonesty. As children, some become skillful at telling complex lies to parents, teachers, and others, using deceit to cover up bad behavior or to gain rewards. Theft is also common in those with antisocial personality disorder. This may involve shoplifting or breaking into cars, homes, and businesses. Sophisticated antisocial individuals may use stolen credit cards or checkbooks and some perform electronic crimes (40).

Many with antisocial personality disorder are extremely irresponsible. Most live for the moment and don't plan the future. "Related to irresponsibility in the antisocial's seeming inability to feel regret or remorse for his or her actions. This lack of conscience traps antisocials in emotional isolation, underlies their disregard for all standards of behavior, and dooms them to live without the social support most of us take for granted. But many antisocials wouldn't have it any other way. They see themselves as the true victims, not those they betray, rob, rape, or murder. They hold a perpetual grudge against the social order and inspire outrage when they reveal the contorted logic that, in their eyes, absolves them of all responsibility (51)."

"Antisocial individuals have a need to exert control over their environment and the people in it and are usually impulsive risk takers and thrill seekers, often to the point of recklessness (Antisocial Personality Disorder 34)." They show a disregard for others and themselves. "Many show symptomatic recklessness, driving too fast or while drunk, practicing unsafe sex, or taking countless other risks (Bad Boys to Bad Men 48)." The main cause of death for someone with this disorder are these irresponsible acts. "It is no wonder that antisocials have higher than normal death rates from diseases that require careful management, such as diabetes and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (48)."

"Bad parenting, defective genes, childhood trauma, and poverty are only a few of the proposed casual factors in ASP, a list varied as the selection of experts who stand behind their favorite explanations for the disorder. Just as the diverse manifestations of ASP may divert attention from the underlying disorder, focusing on a single cause risks overlooking the possibility that ASP results from combinations of factors. The sociologist blames poor living conditions found in deteriorating inner cities or rural backwaters. The psychologist regards ASP as a learned behavior that impressionable children pick up from bad parents. The psychiatrist views the disorder as hereditary and biologically mediated. The psychoanalyst sees inconsistent parenting in early childhood as having lifelong effects. This list is something of a caricature, but it underlines the fact that ASP probably has multiple causes (102)." Although we lack the knowledge to name the exact causes of this disorder, we know enough to suggest factors that may contribute to the development.

"The hereditary-environment debate is hardly new, especially in psychiatry, but revolutionary progress in genetics today weighs one side of the equation more heavily than ever before. Genes tied to traits like novelty-seeking, aggression, and sexual orientations have been proposed, sometimes raising furious controversy. Even characteristics with obvious genetic links are often more complex than many tend to think. Genetics may set the potential, but environmental factors like diet and family upbringing may determine whether that potential is ultimately reached (103)."

Some scientists have speculated that a person with antisocial personality disorder has a damaged central nervous system, an idea that came about in the mid-19th century. "Supporting evidence has accumulated since the 1940s, when the first EEG tracings of brain was activity revealed that aberrant slow-wave patterns were two to three times more common among antisocials than among others. Today, modern techniques like MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) scans provide detailed pictures of brain activity and allow researchers to match certain phenomena to different brain regions (112)." When part of the brain's system is thrown off balance, a variety of biological and behavioral problems can emerge, resulting in antisocial personality disorder.

"The current attention given to biochemical, physiological, and development causes of ASP overshadows a considerable body of evidence that points directly to the family and home environment as major contributions to antisocial behavior. Many children who become antisocial endure poverty, substandard housing, bad neighborhoods, parental abuse and neglect, and inadequate nutrition and medical care.

Low socioeconomic level alone is probably not