Abnormal Psychology

594 CHAPTER 13

The Role of Conduct Disorder

One of the diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder is evidence of con-

duct disorder in childhood. Although a person need not have been diagnosed with

that disorder during childhood, the person should have exhibited symptoms of it,

as John in Case 13.5 did. Given this diagnostic requirement, it is not surprising that

having conduct disorder in childhood is strongly associated with antisocial person-

ality disorder in adulthood.

However, although most men with antisocial personality disorder had se-

rious conduct-related problems as children (that is, they are reported to have

exhibited symptoms of conduct disorder as children or teenagers), most boys

with conduct problems do not go on to develop antisocial personality disorder

(Hill, 2003; Maugham & Rutter, 2001). As shown in Figure 13.5, though, the

more symptoms of conduct disorder a boy has, the more likely it is that he will

develop antisocial personality disorder in young adulthood.

Most women with antisocial personality disorder did not have serious con-

duct problems when they were younger (Burnette & Newman, 2005). Even

without meeting the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder, however, girls who

show a pattern of interpersonal and physical aggression are more likely to de-

velop antisocial personality disorder as women. Although Reiland had conduct

problems as a girl and as an adult she displayed some elements of antisocial

personality disorder— impulsivity and irritability—she did not exhibit enough

symptoms to meet the diagnostic criteria for this disorder.

Another risk factor that may lead conduct disorder to progress to antisocial

personality disorder is socioeconomic status (SES): People with conduct disorder

from lower SES groups have an increased risk of developing antisocial personality

disorder (Lahey, Loeber et al., 2005).

Psychopathy: Is It Different Than Antisocial

Personality Disorder?

The term psychopath (or sociopath, which was used in the fi rst DSM) has often

been used to refer to someone with symptoms of antisocial personality disorder.

These two terms are not exactly the same, however. As illustrated in Figure 13.6, the

13.5 • Conduct Disorder and Its

Relation to Antisocial Personal-

ity Disorder Boys 7–12 years old who

have more symptoms of conduct disorder

are more likely to develop antisocial per-

sonality disorder by age 19.

Source: Lahey et al., 2005, Figure 2, p. 394. For

more information see the Permissions section.

Figure 13.5g35

021

Number of conduct disorder symptoms

in boys ages 7–12

345

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Percentage with antisocial

personality disorder by age 19

13.6 • Symptoms of

Psychopathy The criteria for

psychopathy are organized into two

general groups, each of which has

two clusters of criteria. The criteria

for antisocial personality disorder

(italicized) are much broader than

those for psychopathy. For instance,

most of the affective characteristics

of psychopathy are not included

in the criteria for antisocial

personality disorder. The diagnosis

of antisocial personality disorder is

therefore likely to result in a more

heterogeneous grouping than is

psychopathy.

Source: Adapted from Hare, 2003. For more

information see the Permissions section.

Figure 13.6g3

Psychopathy

Interpersonal/

Affective

Social Deviance

Interpersonal

Glibness/Superficial

charm

Grandiose self-worth

Pathological lying

Conning/Manipulative

Affective

Indicators of lack

of remorse or guilt

Shallow affect

Callous/Lack of

empathy

Failure to accept

responsibility for

actions

Lifestyle

Need for stimulation,

prone to boredom

Parasitic lifestyle

Lack of realistic, long-

term goals

Impulsivity

Indicators of

irresponsibility

Antisocial

Poor behavioral

controls

Early behavioral

problems

Juvenile delinquency

Revocation of

conditional release

from incarceration

Criminal versatility