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Antisocial Personality Disorder ( Walsh & Wu

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Antisocial Personality Disorder
Imagine this, Jerry Smith, is considered to be the “bad kid” in high school with an extensive juvenile record. He steals from other students and lies about it. He is irritable and picks fights daily. Jerry gets bad grades, and it appears that he does not care. As an adult, he is a con artist and cannot seem to hold a decent job due to his impulsivity. Jerry thinks that life is not fair. According to the research, individuals who possess these antisocial behaviors during childhood commit most crimes in adulthood (Walsh & Wu, 2008). Therefore, understanding personality traits that may lead to criminal behavior is of great interest. It appears that individuals who possess these personality traits function, as criminals in our society, of these, the antisocial personality, or the related term “psychopath or sociopath,” is one specific psychological syndrome.
Development of Psychopath/sociopath Terminology
Outside of a psychological perspective, the term antisocial personality is not recognized (Walsh & Wu, 2008). The most common term to describe these behaviors is known as “psychopath.” Despite the similarities between the two terms, research suggests that they are distinct constructs from an empirical point of view. Most cases of psychopathy are diagnosed within prison or other forensic settings and will meet the DSM-5 criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD), whereas only 15-25% of the cases of APD will meet criteria

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