ASPD & PSYCHOPATHY Flashcards
ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER & PSYCHOPATHY: CAUSAL FACTORS
Moderate genetic factors < stronger environmental component
- Interaction btw genes (MAO-A gene) & maltreatment
Low activity in MAO-A gene associated w/increased aggression
The low activity in the MAO_A gene warrior gene is only going to have the most effect in the case of severe maltreatment such as in sexual, physical, abuse etc.
Serotonin norepinephrine are not being broken down by this MAO-A gene
FAMILY ENVIRONMENT - POTENTIALLY ADVERSE
Can lead to ineffective parenting: especially supervision & discipline
PARENT PSYCHOPATHOLOGY:
- Employment
- Education & occupation
- Stress events
- divorce/transitions
- Neighborhood school
- -Can lead to ineffective parenting: especially
PARENTING BEHAVIOR:
- Overly punishing, disciplinary, lack of supervision (risk factor for ASPD & substance abuse) not knowing where your kids are, what’s going on in their friend group, etc)
- Increased ASP behaviors in childhood → adulthood
- Genetic predisposition x environment → increase
Aggressiveness, impulsivity, inefficient decision making or not making the best choices in life
CAUSAL FACTORS: PSYCHOPATHY & ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY
Under arousal hypothesis
- Low levels of anxiety/fear
- -Kids that had low levels of fear were more likely to engage in adult criminal behavior, makes sense
- Lower startle response
- 20yr study → low fear
- Less activity in amygdala
- -Less sad, fearful faces. ppl w/higher levels of psychopathy had less of these
PSYCHOPATHY = Excessive focus on reward
- Greater response to Dopamine → reward high
- -They are more stimulated by the acquisition of their goal
*real physiological data differences, information processing differences in individuals who have high levels of this trait
The way they process information, they way they focus attention is different
Inadequate consciousness formation, lack of a conscious that is facilitated by this physiological mechanisms that they don’t have a sense of morality development in the same way that other people do
Treatments of ASPD & Psychopathy and Outcomes
Difficult to treat
in ASPD & PSYCHOPATHY CBT helps with:
→ increase self control
→ social perspective taking
→ anger management: (they think aggression is how they can get things)
→ changing attitudes: such as hostile attributions (ppl are out to get them)
→ treating drug addiction
in ASPD & PSYCHOPATHY CBT Results
- High drop-outs
- Only modest changes
- Do not generalize (when they leave the setting)
- Make psychopaths more harmful by teaching them to improve their social skills (perspective taking)
- Teaching them interpersonal skills probably not best for ppl that lack moral standards
Treatment-Biological: Psychopathy
- not a lot of data
- -medication could help reduce aggression/impulses but does not eradicate disorder as a whole
- medication such as Antabuse used in AVERSION therapy
- not very effective
