Differences Between Antisocial Personality And Asocial Personality
Although antisocial and asocial personality are frequently confused in common language the truth is that these are two very different ways of being: the first is considered pathological since it is associated with harm to other people (antisocial behaviors), while asociality refers to the lack of interest in interaction.
In this article we will describe in detail what they consist of and How do antisocial and dissocial personalities differ? To do this we will base ourselves mainly on the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV psychological manual, as well as contributions from other experts.
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 “Specific personality disorders”.
Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by recurrent behaviors that involve contempt and/or violation of the rights of other people According to the DSM-IV, at least 3 of the following diagnostic criteria must be met:
To diagnose antisocial personality disorder the person must be at least 18 years old as well as that some of the criteria described have been present since the age of 15 or earlier.
Conduct disorder as an early manifestation
Before the age of majority, persistent antisocial behaviors are classified with the label “Conduct disorder,” which the DSM-IV includes in the category “Attention deficit and disruptive behavior disorders,” in turn one of the sections of the macrocategory. “Disorders with onset in infancy, childhood or adolescence”
The diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder also focus on the violation of other people’s rights. In particular, the criteria are categorized into four blocks: aggression towards people and animals (physical cruelty, armed robbery, etc.), destruction of property (eg setting fires), fraud or theft, and serious violations of regulations.
conduct disorder It is considered the precursor of antisocial disorder, more serious since it occurs in more advanced stages of development. The earlier the symptoms appear (“childhood-onset conduct 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 are not interested in social interaction or that they prefer to be alone. This is a non-pathological characteristic, especially of very introverted people, although in today’s society, dominated by extroverted personalities, it is usually 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 (SARA). Extroverted people have a low activation level, so they require a lot of external stimulation; The opposite happens with introverts.
In this sense, it seems likely that many people classified as asocial are simply very introverted, to the point that external stimulation, including social stimulation, becomes more or less unpleasant for them. Environmental factors can also influence the development of this type of personality, on the other hand.
Since it is not a pathology, the diagnostic manuals do not include any “asocial personality disorder,” as is the case with antisocial personality disorder. However, some psychological disorders are clearly related to a lack of social interest and the absence of pleasure in interacting with other people.
There are several personality disorders included in the DSM-IV which are notably characterized by asociality. In particular, schizoid personality disorder is defined as a pattern of behavior in which the 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 decrease with familiarity) and extravagant behaviors. In schizophrenia, which is related to this disorder and the previous one, similar asocial signs may occur.
People with avoidant personality disorder On the other hand, they would like to interact more but are overcome by anxiety and fear of making a fool of themselves. Avoidant disorder is considered an extreme manifestation of social phobia (or social anxiety), in which asocial behaviors can also occur.
What is the difference between them?
There are certainly few similarities between these two personality types; The frequent confusion between antisociality and asociality is fundamentally due to the superficial resemblance between the two words rather than the fact that they share characteristics.
Specifically, the word “antisocial” is usually used to describe asocial behaviors, that is, related to a lack of interest in social relationships. However, the concept of antisocial personality refers to actions against the company and those who make it up, not to 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 who 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 they are two different personality dimensions, antisociality and asociality do not have to 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 we could describe as misanthropic.
