What is Antisocial Behavior?
Antisocial behavior can be considered as heterogeneous actions that may cause harm or be concerning a violation to the other person. In simpler words, it’s a behavior that is physically or verbally harmful to the opposite entity.
Antisocial behavior is mostly disruptive acts, characterized by disguised or undisguised hostility, and in-built aggression for others. This kind of behavior may be of violating nature.
Why is it called Antisocial behavior?
This kind of behavior contrasts with the normal behavior thus named as Anti i.e. opposite.
Causes of Antisocial Behaviour:
It can be developed due to various reasons like-
- Disrupted social interactions with family, relatives, friends due to family problems.
- A person’s temperament, irritability.
- Peer pressure, exposure to violence.
- Depression, anxiety, impulsive nature.
- Poor education.
- It can be genetic i.e. hereditary passed down from generations.
- Unemployment or worklessness
- Neurobiological issues during gestation, infancy caused by head injury, birth complications, prenatal brain damage.
- Drug abuse by parents or the person itself.
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What are the Symptoms of Antisocial Behavior?
Does Antisocial behavior have any symptoms? Yes, the symptoms could be the following :
- Persistent lying.
- Overlook the right or wrong.
- Being manipulative using charm just for personal gains or pleasure.
- Arrogant nature.
- Dishonesty.
- Abusive relationships.
- Disrespecting others.
- Impulsiveness
- Lack of empathy or remorse after hurting someone.
- Unnecessary risk-taking
- Not understanding the consequences of this behavior.
- Irresponsible.
- Criminal behavior, often falling into problems with the law.
What are some examples of antisocial behavior?
Some examples can be listed as;
- Abusive and insulting behavior.
- Excessive noise like loud music or TV.
- Shouting, screaming, abusing.
- Vandalism, graffiti.
- Threatening to use violence.
- Getting into unnecessary fights.
- Theft
- Underage driving, drinking.
- Drug abuse.
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Anti Social Behavior in Adolescence
The kind of behavior in which the individual ignores right or wrong disregards any feeling for others is hurtful physically or verbally. This is observed mainly in adolescents.
The causes and symptoms are the same as stated above.
It includes behavioral characteristics like disobedience, temper tantrums, aggression, talking back, violence. All of this builds up from a very young age and finds its way out eventually.
This behavior is primarily linked to the parents. Aggressive parental nature, hitting children for minor errors, the abusive language used at home, parents splitting due to divorce, domestic abuse, parents fighting, cheating, sexual exploitation, sibling rivalry, alcoholic parent, drug abuse, etc. may cause such behavior.
Not only this at times abuse and demeaning comments from relatives, bullying by friends, but cousins can also lead to antisocial behavior.
In such cases the child becomes vengeful, stops seeing right from wrong. Loses empathy, becomes disrespectful. Being full of aggression channels out as violence, which may cause physical harm.
This causes a risk to the individual eventually.
Risks of Antisocial behavior:
Future complications may look like this:
- Spouse or child abuse by an individual.
- Alcoholism, substance abuse.
- Suicidal behavior.
- Mental health disorders like depression, anxiety.
- Jail time due to committed violence
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Does this have any Treatment?
Treatment could be:
- Enhanced parent communication with teachers as they can tell them about child whereabouts.
- Teaching life skills like anger management, emotional literacy in schools to children.
- Providing professional counseling to parents and children in need.
- Recreational program groups in schools
Antisocial behavior does not always have to be extreme, it could also be seen in a person who might behave naturally. It is important to identify such actions and behavior and make the person feel comfortable. In turn, helping them accept the issue and get the necessary help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Antisocial behavior can be identified in children aging as young as 3-4; if it is left unchecked or untreated it could become a serious issue by the age of 9. Such behavior is evident in teenagers of the age group 10-19.
Early intervention and identification of symptoms can help in preventing such behavior. Such behavior is detected at an early age of 3-5. Teaching them optimism, better social skills, making them understand the wrong, building in affection, and an improved home environment can help children as they stick to these qualities as they move ahead in life.
Asocial means lack of social interaction, it can also be referred to as non-social or social uninterest. Asocial is not very different from being antisocial, it’s mutually exclusive. Whereas antisocial implies antagonism.
It can be annoying but cannot always be linked to such behavior. If other symptoms as stated above also match the individual then it can be called anti-social behavior.
If someone around you a friend or loved one is being called antisocial then:
– Recognize the symptoms
– Take actions like treatment necessary.
– Accept the issue
Not really. Unless one has committed serious heinous crimes they can’t be evicted.