How 'Sociopath' Relates to Symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder

You might have heard the term "sociopath" referring to a character from a movie or book and maybe even a real person. The term describes people whose behavior significantly deviates in dangerous ways from others in their community, such as lacking remorse or acting purposefully violent toward others.

Sociopathy is also linked to a mental health condition known as antisocial personality disorder, or ASPD. Read on to learn more.

How Are ASPD and Sociopathy Related?

Sociopathy was the former name for ASPD. George Partridge, an American psychologist, came up with the term "sociopathy." Partridge said that individuals considered to be sociopaths engaged in behaviors that were threatening to society.

In hearing about ASPD and sociopathy, you may have also heard about psychopathy. "Psychopath" was a coined term by German psychiatrists during the 1800s, including Julius Koch. The term described people who did not meet social expectations and wanted to hurt others.

Though they are similar, sociopathy and psychopathy are sometimes considered personality disorder subtypes. However, neither are official diagnoses in the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision" (DSM-5-TR).

Signs of Antisocial Personality Disorder

A person must be at least 18 years old to be diagnosed with ASPD. They also must have a history of behavioral and emotional problems not linked to another condition—like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder—since at least age 15. From there, healthcare providers will look for evidence of at least three traits listed below, though they can vary a bit by person, to help make a diagnosis.

Lack of Empathy and Remorse

One of the signature signs of ASPD is a lack of empathy. People with ASPD cannot acknowledge or identify with another person's feelings. This includes showing little to no remorse for their actions—regardless of how harmful they may be to others.

On top of having no remorse or being indifferent to how they mistreated someone, a person with ASPD might also try to rationalize how they acted.

Impulsivity

Acting impulsively without considering the consequences is another typical behavior pattern linked to ASPD. A person with ASPD will impulsively act in their self-interest—often harming themselves or others in the process. Failing to plan is the norm.

Chronic Lying or Manipulation

People with ASPD are pros at stretching the truth, primarily when it benefits them.

For fun or personal profit, someone with ASPD might misrepresent the truth, repeatedly lie, use aliases, manipulate, or trick others. The manipulation and conning may be done using lying, cheating, or stealing.

Many times, manipulation is accomplished through superficial charm or charisma, as people with ASPD are known to hide personality traits to appear likable.

Aggressiveness

Acts of aggression or violence—especially in the form of physical fights and assaults—are key aspects of ASPD. One study found that higher aggression levels in childhood are linked to an ASPD diagnosis later on.

This hostility might look like cruelty toward people or animals, spiteful behavior, irritability, and uncontrollable angry outbursts.

Irresponsibility

Routinely ignoring professional obligations and social commitments are examples of repeated irresponsible behavior commonly seen in people with ASPD. They often have consistent patterns of skipping work, disregarding deadlines, and failing to pay bills.

Risk-Taking

Someone with ASPD might be particularly prone to taking big risks that seem dangerous to most others. Risky activities like alcohol abuse, drug use, and unsafe sexual practices are common.

Because of this, people with ASPD are at higher risk for certain viral infections and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The accidents and traumatic injuries that come from certain risks are also why people with ASPD have untimely deaths at higher rates. The disregard might not be just for their safety but also for the safety of others.

Ignoring Social Norms and Laws

From a young age, someone with ASPD usually gravitates toward rule-breaking, cheating, and stealing rather than following societal rules and norms. For example, someone with ASPD might have committed arson or animal cruelty in childhood.

This can translate into heavy criminal activity, though that's not always the case. Illegal activity and its severity are usually highest in the late teen years or early adulthood.

Non-ASPD Signs

One-off situations, like occasionally making an impulse buy while shopping, wouldn't automatically point to an ASPD diagnosis. Individuals must meet the age, duration, and behavioral criteria to be diagnosed with the personality disorder.

Additionally, "asocial" and "antisocial" are sometimes used interchangeably concerning social interactions. In those situations, the two have different meanings. While antisocial behavior refers to actions contrary to normal social behavior, asocial behavior describes a lack of desire or inability to engage with others socially.

What Other Disorders Look Like ASPD?

Some disorders may present similarly to ASPD, such as:

• Borderline personality disorder: Individuals with this disorder may be manipulative to gain reassurance or be nurtured.
• Narcissistic personality disorder: People diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder may not be aggressive or deceitful, but they may engage in exploitation.
• Substance use disorder: A person with a substance use disorder may be impulsive or irresponsible. However, someone can be diagnosed with both a substance use disorder and ASPD.
  

When to See a Healthcare Provider

If you're concerned that you or a loved one may have ASPD, consider speaking to a healthcare provider. They can refer you to a trained mental health care provider—such as a psychiatrist or psychologist—for an official diagnosis.

Often, people with ASPD don't get treatment independently but instead, start court-mandated therapy only after getting into legal trouble. ASPD is one of the most difficult personality disorders to treat. There are no drugs or psychological methods that have been proven to treat ASPD itself.

However, long-term talk therapy and medications might help target specific symptoms (like mood or aggression). It's also worth noting that while ASPD symptoms may seem highly challenging in the late teens and early adulthood years, they can sometimes improve around age 40.

A Quick Review

Explicit, repeated patterns of reckless behavior, lying, impulsivity, aggression, and manipulation of others could potentially point to ASPD. People may also refer to these as characteristics of a sociopath or psychopath, but sociopathy and psychopathy are not official diagnoses.

Check with a healthcare provider for an official diagnosis of ASPD—and know that professional mental health support is available to cope with the outcome.