antisocial
Meaning of antisocial: A description of conduct that disregards other people's rights, and not, in clinical use, a word for being shy or private.
Definition of antisocial
Antisocial describes behavior that ignores the rights of other people and the rules a society lives by, including deceit, aggression, theft and reckless disregard for safety. It is a description of conduct rather than a diagnosis on its own. Where the pattern begins early, persists, and shapes an adult life, it may be assessed as antisocial personality disorder.
What does the word actually mean?
Everyday speech has drifted a long way from the clinical sense, and the two now point in opposite directions. Someone who declines an invitation is called antisocial in conversation. In a clinical record the word means conduct aimed against other people, and a preference for solitude does not qualify. Confusing the two turns a harmless personality trait into an accusation.
| Word | What it describes |
|---|---|
| Antisocial | Conduct that violates the rights of others |
| Asocial | Little interest in company, with no harm intended |
| Shy or introverted | Discomfort or preference in social settings, not a disorder |
| Dissocial | The name used in some international classifications for the same personality pattern |
When is it called a disorder?
A personality disorder is diagnosed from a pattern, never from an incident. The pattern has to be long standing, present across situations, and traceable to conduct problems that began before adulthood, and the diagnosis is not applied to children. Deceitfulness, impulsiveness, irritability, disregard for the safety of others and lack of remorse are the features described. Psychopathy is a related but narrower idea, weighted toward shallow emotion and manipulation, and the two labels are not interchangeable.
What lies behind the pattern?
Inherited temperament and early environment both contribute, and neither explains it alone. Harsh or chaotic early years, exposure to violence, and heavy substance use all raise the likelihood, while psychological assessment looks at the pattern rather than at any single act. Antisocial conduct often peaks in late adolescence and early adulthood and softens with age. Structured programs built on behavior modification target specific behaviors rather than the personality as a whole, since that is where change can be measured.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
The history recorded antisocial behavior beginning in adolescence and continuing into adult life.
Good to know
In ordinary speech antisocial suggests someone who avoids company, while in clinical use it means behavior directed against other people, and the personality disorder is diagnosed from a long pattern rather than a single act.
Word origin
Where “antisocial” comes from
Formed from the Greek anti, meaning against, and social, from the Latin socialis, meaning of companions.