While Donald was in prison he took part in a psychological study as a subject. After he was released he applied for admission to a university, claiming that he had been a colleague of the researcher. (Carson, Butcher, Mineka)
Donald was the youngest of three boys, born to a father who was moody and drank heavily and a mother who tried to please her husband and “preserve family harmony” (Carson, Butcher, Mineka:361). When Donald and his brothers got into trouble, their mother would threaten to tell their father, but often decided not to because she did not want to upset him. When he was informed he would either physically abuse the boys or administer a verbal reprimand, ranging from mild to severe. (Carson, Butcher, Mineka)
Donald was a difficult child, and tried to cover up his behavior with temper tantrums, elaborate lies, blame shifting, and faking feelings of remorse and contrition. His school years were satisfactory despite his high intelligence. He engaged in lying, cheating, theft, and bullying. When he was 14 he made sexual advances toward a younger girl, and then locked her in a shed when she threatened to tell her parents. Later in life Donald engaged in various bigamous marriages, marrying a woman and letting her support him for a short time until he decided to leave. (Carson, Butcher, Mineka)
Donald S. is a classic example of someone suffering from Antisocial Personality Disorder, which affects 3% of men and only 1% of women. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, describes APSD as a person “having a history of continuous and antisocial behavior in which the right of others are violated, persistence into adult life of a pattern of antisocial behavior that began before the age of 15, and failure to sustain good job performance over several years” (317-318). The DSM-III goes on to describe that these behaviors cannot be the result of severe Mental Retardation, Schizophrenia, or manic episodes.
Symptoms of Antisocial Personality disorder begin in early childhood with lying, stealing, fighting, truancy, and resisting authority. As the person moves into adolescence they begin to display early and aggressive sexual behavior, excessive drinking, and illicit drug use. These behaviors continue into adulthood, where they are combined with the inability to keep a steady job, be a responsible parent, and accept social norms and lawful behavior. After age 30, the more flagrant characteristics of ASPD may drop off, such as sexual promiscuity, fighting, and criminality.
Associated features of Antisocial Personality disorder include signs of personal distress, tension, inability to handle boredom, and the belief that others hold hostile feelings toward them. These associated features, along with the above-described symptoms, may lead to a failure to become independent and self-sufficient. The affected person may also spend time in jail. These circumstances can be complicated by drug and alcohol use.
When diagnosing Antisocial Personality Disorder, the first set of symptoms researched are those that occur before the age of 15. At least three of the following must be present: truancy, expulsion or suspension from school, delinquency, running away from home at least twice, persistent lying, repeated sexual intercourse in a causal relationship, repeated drunkenness or drug use, thefts, vandalism, school grades that are markedly below IQ expectations, chronic violation of home and school rules, and instigation of fights. The next set of symptoms must have occurred since the age of 15, and at least four must be present: inability to hold a job, inability to be a responsible parent, failure to accept social norms and lawful behavior, inability to stay with a sexual partner, involvement in fights, failure to honor financial obligations, impulsivity, disregard for truth, and recklessness. The last criteria for diagnosis call for the continuation of antisocial behavior after the age of 15 with “no intervening period of at least five years without antisocial behavior” (DSM-III, 321)
Interestingly, because diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder “requires the presence of only three of the aforementioned symptoms [those that are present before the age of 15] considerable variability exists among people with the disorder. Thus, some ASPD patients may be non violent, whereas other may be extremely violent (Mueller, Dougherty)
My sources:
Carson, Robert C., Butcher, James N., Mineka, Susan M. Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life: 2000, Allyn & Bacon, Needham Heights, MA.
American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, Third Edition. Washington, D.C.: APA 1980 (I know this format may look weird, but this is how the DSM itself says to cite it)
Mueller, F. Gerard, Dougherty, Donald M. ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER, ALCOHOL, AND AGGRESSION. Alcohol Research and Health. 2001, Volume 25, Issue 1 (this is a journal article)
