Antisocial Behavior: What It Is, Risk Factors And Associated Disorders
The behaviors that we carry out individually as a member of a society can serve both to preserve and maintain coexistence and to disturb it, or alter its climate and harmony. That is, there are prosocial behaviors and, also, antisocial behavior.
Throughout this article we will review the conception and characteristics of antisocial behavior, as well as the risk factors and diagnoses associated with it.
By antisocial behavior we understand the set of behaviors, practices or actions that aim to disrupt the social order or attack it. In the same way, all those speeches that encourage this type of acts are also considered part of antisocial behavior.
Traditionally, these acts and behaviors have been categorized as transgressions, abuses, infractions or crimes judged and punished both by the law and by society in general.
People with antisocial behavior can establish the focus of their actions both in other people’s spaces or properties, through acts of vandalism, theft or robberies, or with the intention of harming other people through aggression, attacks and offenses, as well as abuse and harassment.
What are its main characteristics?
The main problem that exists regarding the need to establish what can be considered antisocial behavior and what cannot, since the definition of antisocial behavior as all that conduct or behavior that violates social norms or the rights of people It encompasses too large a number and variety of acts.
For example, judging a robbery as antisocial behavior is not the same as judging graffiti on a wall as a demonstration against some law or unjust situation. However, all of them are aimed at altering the established order.
The fact that there is so much flexibility regarding the interpretation of certain behaviors as antisocial behavior is a problem in today’s society. Furthermore, there is a perception that in recent years the number of antisocial behaviors has increased considerably, perhaps in response to the social and economic changes and phenomena experienced.
Furthermore, it must be taken into account in Each culture or society can determine a series of guidelines or norms established that approximately regulate which behaviors are considered an aggression or attack on society and which are not.
However, there are a series of factors that can be useful when evaluating and distinguishing an action as antisocial:
Taking these factors into account, we can determine that, at the moment, there are no objective and clear criteria that serve as a guide to evaluate and qualify antisocial behavior, as well as to determine exactly which acts should be excluded from this label.
Despite this, we can establish that antisocial behaviors are those acts that violate the rules or social norms that regulate coexistence, as long as they present a degree of severity higher than that of all those behaviors that are carried out on a daily basis. people’s day
What causes them or what risk factors exist?
Another area investigated by some disciplines such as sociology, psychology, criminology or even legislation is both causes and risk factors that can predispose the general population to carry out any type of antisocial behavior.
Although the exact causes why a person may develop antisocial behavior are not known, there are a series of risk factors that can increase the likelihood of developing antisocial behavior.
These factors are divided into individual, family and context factors.
1. Individual factors
Elements such as temperament or personality as well as impulsivity and attention problems or difficulty adapting to changes can be basic risk factors for the development of antisocial behaviors.
Likewise, the lack of problem-solving skills, poor school or social adjustment, and a lack of socio-cognitive skills make it difficult for the person to find effective and satisfactory alternatives in conflict resolution beyond antisocial behaviors.
2. Family factors
The family environment as well as parenting styles are essential when it comes to promoting the appearance or development of antisocial behaviors. Experiences such as separation from parents, changes in home or experiences of more extreme situations of abuse or domestic violence can be triggers for these behaviors.
Besides, inappropriate parenting styles such as very permissive or authoritarian styles They can also have a strong effect on them.
3. Environmental factors
The sociocultural context, the influence of the media, school, peer groups or some institutions, groups or associations can also favor or encourage the aggressive, violent or angry reactions of some people.
Associated diagnoses
Although these behaviors do not have to occur as a consequence or in association with any psychological pathology or disorder. There are a series of diagnoses in which this type of behavior appears repeatedly.
1. Antisocial personality disorder
According to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), antisocial personality disorder is defined by the appearance of a pattern of behavior that reveals a general disregard for the rules and rights of others.
The main symptoms or signs of this diagnosis include violation of rules, deception and manipulation as the main distinctive features of this disorder. As well as impulsiveness, lack of remorse or lack of concern for the safety of others.
For this diagnosis to be made, the person must be over 18 years old, otherwise it is considered dissocial personality disorder.
2. Dissocial personality disorder
In this second case, the behaviors are practically the same as those of antisocial personality disorder, but with the difference that they manifest at an earlier age, specifically in childhood or during adolescence.
These behaviors categorized as antisocial must occur recurrently and be qualitatively much more serious than the typical rebellious behaviors expected at that age.
