Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

 antisocial personality disorder  (sometimes referred to as a sociopathic personality). 
Individuals with this disturbance show no regard for the moral and ethical rules of 
society or the rights of others. Although they can appear quite intelligent and likable 
(at least at fi rst), upon closer examination they turn out to be manipulative and 
deceptive. Moreover, they lack any guilt or anxiety about their wrongdoing. When 
those with antisocial personality disorder behave in a way that injures someone else, 
they understand intellectually that they have caused harm but feel no remorse (Lyk-
ken, 1995; Goodwin & Hamilton, 2003; Hilarski, 2007). 
People with antisocial personality disorder are often impulsive and lack the abil-
ity to withstand frustration. They can be extremely manipulative. They also may have 
Study Alert
Remember that the multiple 
causes of schizophrenia 
include biological and 
environmental factors.
Study Alert
Unlike most psychological 
disorders, personality dis-
orders produce little or 
no personal distress.
personality disorder 
A disorder 
characterized by a set of infl exible, 
maladaptive behavior patterns that 
keep a person from functioning 
appropriately in society.
antisocial personality disorder 
A disorder in which individuals show 
no regard for the moral and ethical 
rules of society or the rights of others.
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530 Chapter 
15 
Psychological Disorders
excellent social skills; they can be charming, engaging, and highly persuasive. Some 
of the best con artists have antisocial personalities. 
What causes such an unusual constellation of problem behaviors? A variety of 
factors have been suggested ranging from an inability to experience emotions appro-
priately to problems in family relationships. For example, in many cases of antisocial 
behavior, the individual has come from a home in which a parent has died or left or 
one in which there is a lack of affection, a lack of consistency in discipline, or outright 
rejection. Other explanations concentrate on sociocultural factors because an unusu-
ally high proportion of people with antisocial personalities come from lower socio-
economic groups. Still, no one has been able to pinpoint the specifi c causes of 
antisocial personalities, and it is likely that some combination of factors is respon-
sible (Nigg & Goldsmith, 1994; Rosenstein & Horowitz, 1996; Costa & Widiger, 2002). 
People with  borderline personality disorder  have diffi culty developing a secure 
sense of who they are. As a consequence, they tend to rely on relationships with 
others to defi ne their identity. The problem with this strategy is that rejections are 
devastating. Furthermore, people with this disorder distrust others and have diffi -
culty controlling their anger. Their emotional volatility leads to impulsive and self-
destructive behavior. Individuals with borderline personality disorder often feel 
empty and alone, and they have diffi culty cooperating with others. They may form 
intense, sudden, one-sided relationships in which they demand the attention of 
another person and then feel angry when they don’t receive it. One reason for this 
behavior is that they may have a background in which others discounted or criti-
cized their emotional reactions, and they may not have learned to regulate their 
emotions effectively (Links, Eynan, & Heisel, 2007; King-Casas et al., 2008; Hopwood 
et al., 2009). 
Another example of a personality disturbance is the  narcissistic personality