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The Importance Of Antisocial Behavior

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The prefrontal cortex is responsible for higher mental functions such as personality, attention, arousal, behaviour control etc., as well as being closely linked with structures involved in emotion and memory development (e.g. the amygdala). Damage to the PFC may disrupt normal behaviour functioning and cause some individuals to engage in negative, antisocial behaviours, or even have an extremely negative personality change. However, arguments suggest the behaviour may be a result of poor childhood upbringing with negative social surroundings.
S.2.1a of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 defines antisocial behaviour as “conduct that has caused, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to any person”. Individuals who are antisocial tend to be very impulsive, inconsiderate of others, lack motivation in personal progression and disregard social norms.
It is argued that the trait is caused by social influences, such as strict disciplinary enforcements by parents, bullying behaviours within families and ignorance of prosocial acts, causing an operant conditioning of negative and abusive behaviour to be forced upon the child (Patterson Debaryshe, & Ramsey, 1990).
Further arguments suggest antisocial behaviour is a result of poor welfare, by the mother, during prenatal stages such as smoking. (Liu & Wuerker, 2005). Exposure to nicotine in the womb has been associated with altering the brain’s chemical levels, such as reducing levels of dopamine and

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