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Antisocial

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

  • 56 Accesses

Synonyms

Delinquent; Deviant; Dyssocial

Definition

Violation of societal standards, social norms, and/or established rules of behavior and action.

Introduction

The term antisocial describes actions that violate laws, social norms, and established standards of appropriate behavior, including destructive, violent, and aggressive behavior toward others. Personality characteristics of individuals who engage in antisocial behavior include impulsivity, a lack of empathy, and a lack of morality. The development of antisocial behaviors has been shown to be due to a complex interaction of genetic heritability, environmental, and contextual factors.

Antisocial

The term antisocial is generally used to describe actions that violate societal standards and laws or activities that do not adhere to established social norms. Saddock and Saddock (2007) describe antisocial behavior as actions that are “illegal, immoral, or both” (p. 891), adding that the presentation of antisocial behaviors vary in...

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References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders – Fifth edition (DSM-5). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.

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  • Chamberlain, P. (2003). The development of antisocial behavior. In Treating chronic juvenile offenders: Advances made through the Oregon multidimensional treatment foster care model. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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  • Niv, S., & Baker, L. A. (2013). Genetic markers for antisocial behavior. In C. Thomas & K. Pope (Eds.), The origins of antisocial behavior. New York: Oxford University Press.

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  • Paris, J. (2015). Antisocial Personality Disorder. A Concise Guide to Personality Disorders. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14642-006.

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  • Rasmussen, P. R. (2005). The antisocial prototype. In Personality-guided cognitive-behavioral therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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  • Saddock, B. J., & Saddock, V. A. (2007). Additional conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention. In Synopsis of psychiatry: Behavioral sciences/clinical psychiatry (10th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.

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  • Silverstein, M. L. (2007). Descriptive psychopathology and theoretical viewpoints: Dependent, histrionic, and antisocial personality disorders. In Disorders of the self: A personality-guided approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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  • Tuvblad, C., & Beaver, K. M. (2013). Genetic and environmental influences on antisocial behavior. Journal of Criminal Justice, 41, 273–276.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

    Timothy Razza

Authors
  1. Timothy Razza
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Timothy Razza .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, MI, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

    Valerie G. Starratt

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Cite this entry

Razza, T. (2018). Antisocial. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3206-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3206-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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