Antisocial Personality Disorder

Question 1

What is the diagnostic requirements for antisocial personality disorder?

Answer 1

• there must be a preceding diagnosis of conduct disorder before 15 (aggression, destruction, theft, deceitfulness, rule violations)
• individual at least 18 years old at diagnosis

Question 2

Know the power of the biological fathers criminality to predict criminality in sons

Answer 2

Criminality of biological father is a much stronger predictor than the adoptive. Highest rate when both fathers are criminals

Question 3

What does the lykken task tell us about avoidance learn in antisocial personality disordered people?

Answer 3

They can’t discriminate between the two types of incorrect responses and learn to avoid them at the same rate. The implication is that they have a deficit in learning from painful experiences

Question 4

Consider why the avoidance learning account suggests that imprisonment can aggravate ASPD?

Answer 4

Antisocial activities might generate emotional arousal and be heavily reinforced. Suggests that imprisonment may be counter productive for ASPD

Question 5

Understand why cleckley emphasises inadequate motivation for antisocial acts as a key point in psychopathy?

Answer 5

For inadequately motivated acts the aims do not make sense to us (e.g throwing a dog in a river), they show a lack of conscience, they suffer from emotional flatness (they can’t experience strong emotions)