Antisocial Personality Disorder and Gender

[Page 72]Personality disorders are set ways of thinking and behaving that are considered to be inflexible and that could potentially impair interpersonal relationships. Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is considered to be one of the most common types of personality disorders, with a prevalence rate of 2% to 3% in the general population. People with APD tend to routinely violate the rights of others without remorse. They may be habitual criminals or may engage in potentially criminal behaviors. Furthermore, they may hurt and manipulate others in a manner that despite being noncriminal may nevertheless be socially unacceptable, irresponsible, unethical, or immoral. Individuals with APD are fairly likely to be charismatic and may often evoke the sympathy of others, often by portraying themselves as the victim. Thus, ...