ASPD & Psychopathy A Part of Human Evolution Research

ASPD & Psychopathy A Part of Human Evolution
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ASPD & Psychopathy A Part of Human Evolution
Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a malfunction of the human body that is associated with long-term patterns of disregard for the rights of other people and always crossing the line resulting in a frequent violation of the rights. People with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) have always lacked the feeling of empathy towards other people and in most cases, do not see a problem in breaking the law or infringing others’ rights as long as their needs are met. The disorder develops from childhood all through to adulthood of an individual’s life. In popular cultures, ASPD is referred to as psychopathy or sociopathy although the names are not professionally recognized. People with the disorder due to the lack of empathy tend to be cynical, callous and contemptuous of the feelings, sufferings and the rights of others (Mendoza, 2014). Traditionally, superficial charms, lack of empathy and undermined self-appraisal are common features that define psychopathy with the individuals found to be exploitative and irresponsible in their sexual relationships. The enduring pattern common among psychopaths are seen mostly in cognition or impulse control; the patterns are inflexible across a wide range of social and personal situations. The disorder conventionally results in significant distress in sociality, work or other aspects of human life. The diagnosis of the disorder can only be made when the patterns are at their optimum levels; when an individual is over fifteen years. The common symptoms include the failure to conform to the societal ethics as indicated by frequent arrests (Kantor, 2006). The second symptom is deceitfulness as seen by frequent lying and use of aliases or conning others for personal gain. The other characteristics include the failure to plan ahead, irritability and aggressions, reckless disregard, consistent irresponsibility and lack of remorse (McCallum, 2001). The essay seeks to confirm that ASPD and psychopathy are products of evolution, which allow individuals in hostile (both physical and mental) environments a way to cope with their surroundings.
Evolutionary Perspective of ASPD and Psychopathy
ASPD and psychopathy are believed to be developmental disorders an implication that during its normal course of development, the human brain experiences biochemical change and stress which may not be favorable for proper neurological growth. In behavioral psychology, it is believed that serious abuses on a child are the greatest contributors behind the disorders. On the other side, neuroscience believes that the disorders are as a result of improper development of some regions of the brain (MacDonald, 2005).
The environment that an organism exists is essential in the development process due to its role in the transfer of genetic characteristics from one generation to another. In an environment that has particular genes which favor the creation of an organism, then there will be a high tendency of the genes to be reproduced and transferred to the following generations. In other scenarios, the genes support certain behavior within the habitat that ...