Differences between antisocial personality and asocial personality.

These types of behavior patterns can be confused. Here's how to tell them apart.

Although antisocial and asocial personality are often confused in common parlance, the truth is that they are two very different ways of being.The truth is that they are two very different ways of being: the former is considered pathological because it is associated with harming other people (antisocial behavior), while asociality refers to a lack of interest in interaction.

In this article we will describe in detail what they are and how they differ from each other. how antisocial and dissocial personality differ from each other.. For this purpose, we will rely mainly on the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV psychological manual, as well as contributions from other experts.

What is antisocial personality?

Antisocial personality is considered a type of chronic psychological disorder. The DSM-IV lists it as "Antisocial Personality Disorder" within the category "Personality Disorders"; in the case of ICD 10 it is included among the "Specific Personality Disorders". within the category "Personality Disorders"; in the case of ICD-10 it is included among the "Specific Personality Disorders".

Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by recurrent behaviors involving contempt for and/or violation of the rights of others. violation of the rights of others. According to DSM-IV at least 3 of the following diagnostic criteria must be met:

• Repeated noncompliance with laws that may lead to arrests.
• Lying and dishonest behaviors with the goal of gaining profit or pleasure.
• Impulsivity and lack of planning for the future.
• Irritability and aggressiveness manifested in physical and/or verbal aggression.
• Lack of concern for the safety of self and/or others.
• Sustained irresponsibility; e.g., inability to meet financial and work obligations.
• Absence of remorse regarding harmful behaviors.

In order to be able to diagnose antisocial personality disorder it is necessary that the person is at least 18 years of age.as well as that some of the described criteria have been present from the 15 years or previously.

Dissocial disorder as an early manifestation

Before the age of majority persistent antisocial behaviors are classified with the label "Dissocial Disorder", which the DSM-IV includes in the category "Attention deficit disorders and disruptive behavior", in turn one of the sections of the macrocategory "Disorders with onset in infancy, childhood or adolescence"..

The diagnostic criteria for dissocial disorder also focus on the violation of other people's rights. In particular, the criteria are categorized into four blocks: aggression to people and animals (physical cruelty, armed robbery, etc.), destruction of property (e.g. arson), fraudulence or theft, and serious violations of rules.

Dissocial disorder is considered the precursor of antisocial disorder.Dissocial disorder is considered the precursor to antisocial disorder, which is more severe because it occurs at later stages of development. The earlier the symptoms appear ("Childhood-onset dissocial disorder"), the more likely they are to be severe and to persist into adulthood as antisocial personality disorder.

Defining asociality

The term "asocial" is used to describe people who have no interest in people who have no interest in social interaction or who prefer to be alone or who prefer to be alone. It is a non-pathological characteristic, especially of very introverted people, although in today's society, dominated by extroverted personalities, it is often seen as problematic.

Hans Eysenck proposed that the degree of extraversion of people depends on the activity of the central nervous system, specifically the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS). Extroverted people have a low level of activation, so they require a lot of external stimulation; the opposite is true for introverted people.

In this sense, it seems likely that many people described as asocial are simply very introverted, to the extent that external stimulationto the point that external stimulation, including social stimulation, becomes more or less unpleasant for them. Environmental factors may also influence the development of this personality type, on the other hand.

As it is not a pathology, the diagnostic manuals do not include any "asocial personality disorder", as is the case with antisocial disorder. However, some psychological disorders are clearly related to the lack of social interest and the absence of pleasure in interacting with other people.

Related psychological disorders

There are several personality disorders listed in the DSM-IV that are notably characterized by asociality. In particular, schizoid personality disorder is defined as a pattern of behavior in which a tendency to isolation, emotional coldness, apathy and lack of interest in social relationships predominate.

Schizotypal disorder is also related to asociality, although in this case the lack of social contact is due more to social anxiety (which does not diminish with familiarity) and extravagant behaviors. Similar asocial signs may occur in schizophrenia, which is related to this disorder and the previous one.

People with avoidant personality disorderon the other hand, would like to socialize more but are overcome by anxiety and fear of ridicule. Avoidant disorder is considered an extreme manifestation of social phobia (or social anxiety), in which asocial behaviors may also be present.

How do they differ?

Certainly there are few similarities between these two personality types; the frequent confusion between antisociality and asociality is primarily due to the superficial resemblance between the two words. superficial resemblance between the two wordsrather than the fact that they share characteristics.

Specifically, the word "antisocial" is commonly used to describe asocial behaviors, i.e., related to a lack of interest in social relationships. However, the concept of anti-social personality refers to actions against society and those who compose it and those who compose it, not the passive rejection of social interaction.

The prefix "anti-" means "opposed to", "against" or "preventing"; thus, literally, antisocial people are those who oppose social norms and/or act against others. On the other hand, the prefix "a-" indicates negation or absence (we could translate it as "without"), so that asociality would be the lack of social interaction..

In any case, and given that these are two distinct personality dimensions, antisociality and asociality do not necessarily exclude each other. In fact, it is relatively common for people with antisocial disorder to feel a certain degree of rejection of social interaction, in a way that could be described as misanthropic.