antisocial
Summary
On the MCAT, antisocial usually means antisocial personality disorder: a long-standing pattern of disregarding and violating others' rights, with deceit, impulsivity, and little remorse. It is a Cluster B disorder, and it does not mean shy or withdrawn.
Detail
Meaning: Antisocial personality disorder is a pattern of deceit, manipulation, impulsivity, aggression, irresponsibility, and little remorse, with disregard for others' rights and social norms. It is a Cluster B disorder (dramatic, emotional, erratic), along with borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic. In social psychology, antisocial behavior more broadly means actions that harm others, the opposite of prosocial behavior such as helping and altruism.
On the MCAT: A passage may describe a person who lies, breaks rules, exploits others, and feels no guilt, then ask you to name the disorder or its cluster. Another common question asks you to sort personality disorders into Cluster A (odd, eccentric: paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal), Cluster B, or Cluster C (anxious, fearful: avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive). Questions may also ask you to tell antisocial behavior from prosocial behavior in a social psychology experiment.
Common confusion: Antisocial does not mean introverted, shy, or avoiding people. Social withdrawal fits schizoid (Cluster A) or avoidant (Cluster C) personality. A person with antisocial personality disorder may be outgoing or even charming, but exploits others. The deciding feature is violation of others' rights with little remorse, not lack of social contact.
Sources
- Psychology (Myers)
- Psychology (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner)
- Abnormal Psychology (Comer)
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.