#writing aspd

[enlightenedfeline]

Tips for writing a sociopath:

While I've already made a post about the differences in writing psychopaths and sociopaths, I found it might be more helpful that I expand on each individually.

Do keep in mind that I am in no way a professional, I'm just a writer who's done her research and have written characters with ASPD before.

1- Conscious Sociopaths do have a conscious, a very weak one, that is often overshadowed by ego or impulse. So they are capable of feeling empathy and guilt.

What does this mean for your character? It means that while they lie and cheat, they can feel bad for their victims, it's just that they're able to ignore this feeling or it's overpowered by other feelings, often a need to be the best.

2- Ego Sociopaths are more often than not, fueled by ego, and a need to be liked and admired. They care what people think of them, and require praise for the things they do.

Sociopaths often look at more shallow methods of being the best, they don't try to be the best in how good they are to others, rather they try to be the richest, the smartest, the most attractive, etc.

3- Lying Sociopaths don't mind lying, more often than not, it's the easier option for them. They have little to no moral opposition to it, if it benefits them, they'll do it.

This applies to other things that someone without ASPD would consider wrong, cheating, betraying, and so on.

If it benefits a sociopath, they will do it.

4- Consequences. On that same note, sociopaths care how they appear to others, so they will try to keep any moral wrongdoing hidden from the public, to maintain their image and reputation.

5- Self-awareness A sociopath is not aware that they are a sociopath, maybe they can be made aware of the fact, but more often than not, they will be enraged if a label like that is put on them, because it can ruin their image.

Your average sociopath doesn't know that they're a sociopath, they'll think they're simply better than those around them, or more dedicated to things.

They will view themselves as the standard, making them very distrustful of people. Because if they lie and cheat, obviously everyone else does too, right?

6- Impulsiveness How impulsive a sociopath is depends on many personality factors, some people are just better at evaluating the future than others, this applies to sociopaths as well. But more often than not, a sociopath will be more impulsive than your average person, craving instant validation over long-term commitment to something.

7- Why? As far as my knowledge goes, sociopaths are the way they are due to factors in their childhood, often abuse.

Unlike psychopaths, who are born with the condition, sociopaths develop it in childhood.

This could explain the existence of a conscious, while psychopaths lack one. They still feel bad because inside them is a child who still feels, but a child who was hurt and abused enough to lose all hope in the world and the people in it.

This causes sociopaths to be distrusting of everything and everyone, making them incapable of forming geniune connection with people, which turns into loneliness.

Remember that sociopaths are not evil, no one with ASPD is, this tip post is of general information that I like to keep in mind with my characters. Your character may choose not to lie or cheat, they may be more or less impulsive, etc. At the end of the day, just make sure not to make the fact that they're a sociopath their entire personality.

That's all for this post, feel free to ask me questions in the comments about the specific character you're writing cause I always love answering those!

Maybe some of this advice will help, maybe it won't, either way, I hope this feline has enlightened you!

[cainesmirrorminion]

Caine is such a deliciously tragic character, his ending was probably one of the only ones I was fully satisfied with. I love thinking of all the things I can do and write with a fanfiction centered around him, mostly cause I'm an angst lover through and through.

I also love how mg didn't shy away from the villainous route with him, which I feel he could've easily done in Gone by just having Caine be like I'm hurt so I hurt people:((

NO, Caine is hurt so he hurts people, but he also does it for his own benefit, and he doesn't lack a conscious, he just has a weak one. In my opinion Drake wasn't the best deception of a psychopath and mg could've done a lot better with him, but Caine was incredible deception of a sociopath.

When I first read I liked Caine but was not too intrigued by his character, now rereading after I've become a writer I absolutely love all the little habits he has and the sudden mood shifts.

I also love how Caine is charismatic, makes it feel like actual research has gone into writing his ASPD accurately.

[venusscore]

Bat family gets neurodivergent kid (reader)

(non-specific, but I try to add as much as I can to make everyone feel included. I will probably make one specific for my personal things in the future, but this is just a general one :))

ALSO I know I usually do all of the Batfam, but I’m still working on ideas for the others, so I will have to just post it with the main batsons (Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian, Bruce)

Bruce has found out he has another biological child, but they’re neurodivergent:

Bruce had, of course, known about your diagnoses (if you have one) beforehand. He thought it’d be fine- he had dealt with so much more than just a kid who’s a little special, right?

He didn’t realize that there’s a big difference between a kid with severe trauma, and a kid who is naturally different than the rest of the people around them

So one thing he was surprised by was your ability to obsess/hyperfixate on something. It’s not like he minded buying you the merchandise, or bringing you to the cons, or listening to you talk for hours about your interest (he actually quite enjoys listening to you, and it makes it easier to shop for your birthday and Christmas), but he just didn’t expect to be fully taken aback by your enthusiasm

He also didn’t know how to handle your abnormalities with schoolwork, especially if you’re unmedicated. He still loved you, of course! He loved you so much. You’re his baby, no matter what age you are, but he’s had to learn to accommodate you

Dick has known many people, and he’d be lying if he said that none of his teammates or friends were neurodivergent, so he had a much easier time adjusting to your needs

You’re overwhelmed? Here, he has some earplugs and knows the perfect breathing exercises! You want to sit in complete silence and shut down? Dick will make you some little snacks and make sure everyone leaves you alone! You need to ramble? Dick wouldn’t mind listening!

He’s your brother- your OLDEST brother- and he wants you to rely on him/have somewhere to go

Jason is NOT equipped to handle this. He’s in the boat with Bruce of ‘trying to learn, but has a long ways to go’

Sometimes he says jokes you take too literally, so he’s had to teach himself to cool it a bit, or at least clarify that no, he does not hate you at all. Sometimes he gets too loud or worked up when you’re shutting down, so he’s gotten you to give him a signal when you need him to tone it down or just leave you be.

He’s trying. He may not understand as well as Dick or Tim, but he’s trying, and he appreciates that you’re being patient with him

Tim is great with you! He did his homework, obviously, (come on, he’s Tim!) and he’s got as many things as you’ll need. He’s learned to carry fidgets in his pockets, headphones/earplugs if needed, and is ready to help in social situations when needed.

You and him both are mutual yappers. He yaps, you listen, and vise versa. It’s actually very refreshing! You feel better, knowing you can both enjoy each other’s company

Damian, to everyone’s surprise, is the most understanding.

Actually, many people assume that Damian IS neurodivergent (whether he is or not, he’s never been tested), so he’s pretty pleased to have a siblings that understands he isn’t being irrational on some things.

You need things organized a certain way? Him too. You hate change? He wishes everything stayed static. You don’t feel emotions the same way as everyone else/respond inappropriately to situations? Finally, someone who gets it! (ASPD, certain people with ASD, etc.)

You end up being one of his new favorite siblings

Extra:

(I keep seeing theories that Batman is autistic/neurodivergent, and I think those are cute so here’s my take on if you and him both liked bats a lot because I need fluff in my life)

Okay, so Bruce gets you, his second biological child (or first, depending on age), in his custody, and what does he see?

Well, it’s you, but the second you walk inside and see ANY piece of Bat memorabilia, you get all excited! It’s so cute!

He watches you guess what kind of bat is which, show him your own toys/shirts/etc. of bats, and when he tells you he’s the BATMAN? He finally feels like a cool dad!

Alfred is frozen SOLID. It’s just a mini-Bruce.

Suddenly, Christmas is very easy when it comes to shopping. One year, Dick decides to get you both matching pajama sets, and Bruce felt like he could cry.

He likes to call you “Little Bat” and stuff, which starts to be caught on by the rest of the family. It doesn’t matter if your 3 or 18, he’ll always call you that.

(Lmk if you like this a lot because I’d LOVE to write more of just Bruce and reader being hyperfixated on bats together)

———

Tysm for reading!! I plan to finish this with the others. I love them all, but these were just the easiest to think up ideas for

if you have a specific condition you’d like me to write for, lmk!

Thank you for all the support btw! This is so fun are y’all are so sweet!! 💕

[antisocialsharky]

Hello! I have a question, so I have an OC that has ASPD and I feel like I'm struggling to show the symptoms of it in my writings for them, I don't want to make their whole personality their discord but I also kinda want to show that something isn't completely alright with them, is there any subtle ways of writing/showing ASPD? I'm really sorry if this question is confusing!

Hi ^^ That'll highly depend on your individual character and the type of ASPD symptom combination you're trying to portray, as well as the individuals personal stance towards their symptoms, their therapy progress and what type of society you're writing the character into! So these suggestions might not fit/you may need to adjust them regarding those points:

• having unconventional ways of showing love/appreciation/affection => imagine character A. struggling with something and character B. comes along, plops a cat in their lap, says "found that around the corner, now smile", cus B. knows that A. likes cats and that that may comfort them, so they grab a random cat to cheer them up, or yk stuff like that? just something that would make other characters around them go "wtf?" but that is at its core still motivated by wanting the other person to feel better and just not knowing how to do it in conventional ways

• a sort of possessive aggressive attitude that may have to be reigned in by the partner/friends/parents/etc. at times => imagine character A. talks about having been accidentally pushed by another shopper and character B. just aggressively mumbles threats immediately, or character A. wants to go out with friends and character B. asks if they need a bodyguard to bash the touchy douchebags into the wall. and character A. going "hey reign in the violence please, this situation doesn't require that" or sum? if you get the vibe? sort of in the way that shows that character B's first instinct is to react aggressively and that they don't know in which situation its appropiate, but A. casually reminds them of it

• casually throwing in an absence of prosocial reactions => mentioning them not seeming very moved by a catastrophe, remarking how their emotions dont seem to go very deep, touching on a lack of social skills, showing that their relationships dont seem to be too emotionally involved, etc. but just...casually? like "...everyone was crying, lying in each others arms, as the TV showed the bomb detonate and the rubble crumble down, burying bodies beneath it. it took a while for everyone to calm down, A. was wiping the tears of their cheeks, C. had their head buried in B's arms, who had been as unbothered as usual trough the whole thing and soon went to make tea for everyone, as D. declared they needed some distraction" => including B. in the group dynamic but still making sure to hint that they don't care about the event itself. you can alter how obvious you wanna make it and whether you'd like to leave room for doubt...like as to whether they just seem unbothered or actually are, whether they make insensitive comments or not, etc.

• showing impulsivity/irresponsibility as a sort of playful/funny thing to the group => "A. asked: 'where the fuck is this duck coming from', as they watched C. sitting on a blanket under a tree, with a duck nibbling away on some crumbs next to them. 'I dont know, I think B. stole it from the pond or something? He keeps dragging in new animals, can't keep himself from picking them up', C. answered, grinning at their friend. 'well at least hes no longer going after peoples pets...', D giggled as they plopped down next to C. 'remember how furious old Mrs. Maddison was when B. knicked her cat for a few hours to see how many mice it would chase before it got tired? that cat refused to move a single inch afterwards', the three broke out in laughter at the memory" => bit less subtle, but you know just casually remarking on how the ASPD character stole something, or is gonna be like "chill I'll give it back in a bit...probably", or is absolutely oblivious that they did something mean/against the law, because their friends think its funny? casually remarking on them not going to work, not turning in assignments a la " 'are they coming into work today?' 'its B. so of course not' " etc.

• showing the lack of remorse as an accepted not uncommon response while highlighting the way they go around it => " C. smiled at the roses in the glass vase on the table, carefully touching them with their fingers. 'Did B. apologize for what they did', A. asked, sitting down opposite of their friend. 'B. doesn't do apologies, but I woke up to these roses, so we're good', C. smiled, 'Its not like they'd feel sorry anyway, as long as they try to make me feel better I don't have a reason to complain', they added with a shrug" => depends on the dynamic and what type of apologies parties require ofc, but showing the alternative way of cheering the other up and showing that B. recognized its needed? casually throwing in that they wouldnt feel sorry anyway, but C. is satisfied with it and thats all that matters? that sorta stuff

• hinting at a bad family history that explains a behavior they show => " A. put an arm around C. and shook her head: 'I cant believe B. would just leave you here after a literal argument, what an ass, did not one teach him how to treat a partner?' C. put her arm around A.'s waist and laughed bitterly: 'Who should have? That absent father of his or his mother who'd just slap him for every mistake. No, its no wonder B. ran at the first opportunity. He'll be back, he always is' " => not too on the nose in regards to ASPD specifically, but giving background info that hints at trauma and having problems because of it.

And yeah...you basically do that with every symptom you wanna show. Making a condition less obvious and less central is usually done by giving the character people that are used to it and make it seem normal, by putting them in a society where those behaviors are less judged, or by showing some progress of working around it while still highlighting that it causes issues! Hope that helps, tho feel free to DM me if you need any advice for specific situations ^^

[aurora-alice]

You weren’t born abusive.

You were born emotional.

[spliceweird-2004]

Some stories are never meant to be kept in photographs but rather left in a sack of scraps—their value lost after silent hurdles, without any explanation.

[vilepatient]

Someone out there calls them “hot”. They admire them due to the desires of the flesh; meanwhile somewhere they have a letter with my sanguine sealed within it. Meanwhile they still hold half of my heart and all of my soul; and know things of me I have not yet confessed to God.

[allornothingalways-blog]

unfortunately i would rather date someone with the same disorders as me because:

a. they get it without the 10 hour powerpoint i had to give my ex

b. they wont leave me

c. they will give me attention and i will give them attention

d. we will have a cat who likes me better and a dog who likes you better, and we will pretend to be annoyed but actually its perfect

e. our disorders come from childhood trauma and we will not have biological children because children are fucking SCARY

f. breakdowns are shared (they will lay on the floor with me and make sad jokes)

g. therapy is bonding time ("what did your therapist say?"/"i cried and realized i have a deep rooted fear of being perceived" / "hot")

h. normal?? whats that??

[angelsandarsenic]

quick poll for y’all writers because I’m curious

[happyk44]

kicking my legs back and forth thinking about yukishima where shima realizes pretty quickly that he doesn't have to mask in front of yukio and yukio doesn't know if this is better or worse

[roguetheflowerchild]

Moving out at 18 because you have no choice for your mental health is a lot

[enlightenedfeline]

Differences in writing a psychopath vs sociopath:

I'll start this post off by saying that I am in no way an expert on ASPD, I'm just a girl who has written psychopath and sociopath characters and done some research, so take what I say with a grain of salt, and I recommend doing your own research before writing a character!

If you wanna skip the parapraphs, there's bulletpoints of the differences at the end of this post.

First off, what is ASPD? Anti-Social Personality Disorder is described as a personality disorder where the person exhibits a chronic pattern of behaviors that disregard the rights and well-being of others, their behavior conflicts with social norms, and affects their interpersonal relationships.

Something I've seen written into many iconic psychopathic characters is sadism, which is when someone feels pleasure when they humiliate and hurt others. And while yes, based off of these descriptions ASPD and sadism seem to go hand in hand, this isn't the case. Not every psychopath/sociopath is a sadist, and this is important to keep in mind when writing ASPD characters.

Another important thing is that ASPD characters, psychopaths in particular, are not smarter than your average person, as in - someone isn't smart because they're a psychopath.

ASPD characters, as you could've guess, generally have low emotional intelligence, meaning that it's very likely that an ASPD character would struggle with hypothetical scenarios, or putting themselves in others shoes, because the ability to comprehend a hypothetical scenario is associated with empathy, which is associated with general intelligence.

Now for more specific differences.

A distinction that I like to personally keep between my characters is that they can be born psychopaths, but a sociopath is created by ceratin enviroments.

This means that a psychopath can be rehabilitated and taught to follow certain social norms, the same does not apply to a sociopath. Going off of this fact we can also say that a psychopath can be aware of the fact that they are a psychopath, a sociopath cannot.

Now let's take a step back, just because they can be aware of their personality disorder doesn't mean they will suddenly be able to experience empathy or feel love, it just means that they can follow the necessary steps to be able to live and function normally.

Both psychopaths and sociopaths are impulsive, but I've noticed that sociopaths tend to be a lot more egotistical, they generally care more about what people around them think, psychopaths do not. Which furthers my belief that sociopaths are created and not born.

Both psychopaths and sociopaths are able to understand the feelings of others, but in a much more scietntific way. For example, if someone is to get hurt, they would not be able to empathize, but they would be able to understand that right now this person is hurt because they stubbed their toe, and toe-stubbing is generally described to hurt.

This may seem like a normal thought process, but it's not, to understand this let's quickly dive into mirror neurons.

Mirror neurons, from what I've read, are described to be in charge of making us feel emapthy. You, as someone who can feel empathy, will not go through your logical understanding of why toe-stubbing hurts, but instead you would feel - mirror - what the toe-stubbing victim feels, maybe you wince in pain even though you haven't felt it, maybe you say ow then ask if they're alright.

Psychopaths and sociopaths are unable to experience this instant understanding of someone being hurt, and that is one of the most important details to keep in mind when writing one.

Now that I've yapped, let me add some bulletpoints before I conclude this post: - Sociopaths are prone to emotional outbursts, psychopaths are not. - Sociopaths have the (small) capacity to feel empathy and guilt, psychopaths do not. - Psychopaths can be made aware of their disorder, sociopaths can not. - Sociopaths are generally more impulsive. - Sociopaths tend to display more criminal behavior than psychopaths. - Psychopaths have more manipulative tendecies, but both can be manipulative. - Psychopaths can generally control their behavior better than sociopaths. - Violence is always high in sociopaths, but varies with psychopaths. - Sociopaths try to rationalize their wrong actions, psychopaths do not. - Sociopaths are generally a product of their enviroment, psychopaths are born with the disorder. - Psychopaths feel no remorse, sociopaths are capable of feeling little remorse. - Psychopaths are able to remain calm under pressure, sociopaths are not.

While writing characters with ASPD always keep in mind that they are not monsters, they can be horrible people or the best friend of your protagonist, characters with ASPD can be very fun to write and read if done well. Do not make them monsters, do not make them one-sided, they are human beings, write them as such. Be creative, give them motivations, give them quirks and personality traits unrelated to their disorder.

Maybe some of this advice will help, maybe it won't, either way, I hope this feline has enlightened you!

[nshtn]

how well do you think wesker would get along with a s/o or friend with ASPD?

writing RE5 wesker and making him way more sociopathic than I normally pen him for the bit.

with ASPD? well, he has ASPD. severely. he's a psycho-sociopath - i fear this is one of the more effective passive ways to strip him bare when it comes to existing relationships, but it also makes him almost unrecognizable as the Wesker that is often presented to the audience. i also think he would overly-strip his own persona to chameleon their own until he's acting a degree of detached he doesn't even find himself.

kinda DDDNE below i'm ngl!

i think he would literally just be like "hey, what are positive reinforcements for you?" and then literally reward/punish them like they're an algorithm and not really a person. cut out the middleman of silly things like "overly-abundant lingual placations" and "social engineering in an attempt to garner a one-sided lovebombing relationship relative to interests". he's not fretting about reciprocation or communication too deeply. he'd probably drop a lot of his persona around them because there's no point, depending on the type and severity and the level of friendship that is shared.

probably likes to talk about deeper aspects of humanity he finds confusing with them. (issue: he's a know-it-all hotheaded egomaniac who is snobby & pompous) yes, he knows why people are programmed with disgust, but isn't it annoying? why must he fret in the trenches of 'reciprocal social warmth' so that his plan - benevolent in its' leanings (absolutely not) - may progress? why can his intention, the bigger picture, never serve as enough for most of this useless, ungrateful population?

he has to stem his brutal honesty when others speak. people twine their words around common idioms and metaphors, dancing around truths that mean nothing to him just to spare their own hide. it's difficult for him not to spring into a lecture when his scientists do something wrong that he could never. he has no empathy to spare for failure to incubate limited, unstable samples. must he do everything - must he teach everyone everything every time, or will they find insult in that, too? and doesn't his little friend find it difficult to participate in this annoying "dance"? it's draining.

i think he'd express less of his anger towards them specifically because, if their ASPD is severe, they're likely not even doing things to intentionally seek it (unless they're acting directly, inescapably incompetent - but he won't pull out the big book of ad homs; why do it if it is to no effect? he almost wishes they'd respond to his prodding so he'd have something to use, so used to the mask that going without feels itself a breed of foreign.) he automatically views them without the same level of malice as long as they don't harbor thrill-seeking in destruction or passive, extreme homicidality like Marcus.

he'd likely spring into deeply philosophical or scientific topics with them with very little to buffer between it, nixing the small talk that people are used to because it isn't optimal - ever the optimizer, to the point of mania - the kind of man who rounds a corner, spots them, and immediately breaks out into whatever problem he's run into with his own research with no buffer. hello, rubber ducky! of course, he expects the same from them, but he'll mind a lot less if they drudge through small talk, safety in the knowledge they find it as useless as he does when they're both public-facing. (the truth is that wesker does not mind the small talk when it's all about him, but...)

do they not feel an irk when they must relax their tension manually? do they find it difficult to pull the proper degree of smile that a situation demands - never too much, never too little? he will flat-out ask if he can imitate if they're really that good or find it easy - while he can certainly do it, he doesn't invest as much of himself as he reasonably should as a bioweapons manufacturer and continually sits on the splitting, guillotine's edge of the necessary imitation. he'll also learn the tics that represent the sign that their irritation is peeking through when they're with others and act as their wingman, swooping in to pull them away with the expectation they'd do the same for him.

probably keeps them around for Excella's invasions of personal space like they're a beacon of safety.

they talk about how natural he was afterwards - where he can improve, what was perfect, where irritation bubbled into the periphery. they will likely have picked up on the fact that he bathes in positive reinforcement and preens to it. honestly, they could probably defang him and have him under them if they play their cards right.

he'd definitely probe on how deeply it effects them - neurology intrigues him and is a cog in the grand machine of his research, and to learn about the finer parts is useful, especially if he might want to induce it in people who carry uroboros (what grand, irredeemably unreachable goals - to invade the brain will only result in severe irreversible cannibal disease). he would definitely seek the physical representations that underpin it, and would feel great interest in the difference between someone who was born with ASPD vs someone who developed it.

blue umbrella already knew how to make weapons out of the thick dough of the humanity they're initially presented with. he needs to know how to do it at the genetic level.

willing to experiment with eachothers lack of:

"did you hear about [x]? do you want to see the raw footage?"

"at what age did you realize you felt a separation?"

"have you had an f-MRI before?" ... "what about an EEG?"

definitely puts his hands on their shoulders, waist, or grabs their wrist occasionally in interactions, examining their face for the telltale signs of flush. display it, do it. give him something to work with, please.

treats them clinically, in an almost insulting way, simply the way he treats others stripped bare. over time, as the fascination pours and froths over, it becomes playful and natural.

as he gets to befriend them more closely he'd be willing to be indebted to them to provide them with what pushes their own personal goals forward. unfortunately, i think he'd always have a degree of his own personal separation because they're an uncontrollable variable who knows enough of his depth that they could fuck him over. he will always strive to put out the ward that that goes against their finer sensibilities.

i think he'd fear that being too truthful with them, especially about his own goals, would make for another birkin. at the same time, there's a draw to someone so similar or even worse than he is, especially if he can use them as a nearly-consensual canvas without much prodding.

if he can talk with them about topics that usually evoke disgust in others, this will be the ultimate springboard into the breaking dam of friendship into a warped intimacy.

kinda nsfw:

he'd definitely enjoy getting reactions out of them to an unhealthy level that becomes near-exponential as his interest breaks the dam - if they're a sadomasochist, they're in for a fucking ride.

what closeness and ultimate equality in standings would look like to him would be different than it would be for someone who lacks ASPD - would they like to test uroboros? he could do some gene edits to produce an artificial compatibility... this is, to him, one of the most intimate questions he could ask someone in this unique setting; it is like marriage, flipped on its' head from something done without a second thought to a ritualistic, hierophiliac art form. would you join him on his pedestal and ascend? do you want to become true equals?

[dy-mph-na]

A poem about somebody with ASPD from the POV of their victim after they've moved on.

[antisocialsharky]

Hello! I just wanted to say that I've been using some of your posts talking about ASPD to help me better understand it to write an OC I'm writing. I have a question though, do you mind talking about more symptoms of ASPD that I should keep in mind when writing her?

Hi! Very glad to hear that my posts have been helpful and its cool that you are aiming for good representation!

When it comes to how ASPD symptoms should be written and which ones should make it into literature, theres different opinions, so this is gonna go a bit beyond your question I guess? Just to get a roundabout view.

1. Recovery Position

• First thing to rly keep in mind is that the intensity of the symptoms, the way they present and the way the character would deal with them, absolutely depends on where they are in recovery.

• It also depends on what you understand as recovery, be that the reducing of overall symptoms so they are less often present, the act of reducing the harm that is done by your symptoms (ex: trough redirection, or actively learning prosocial behavior) or just learning to find a way to live in society the way you are. No ones view on recovery or the way they go about it (or if they decide not to) is in any way better or superior, but it is an aspect that does change how many symptoms you show in which way, so its important to think about when writing a character.

2. Covert/Overt Symptom Presentation

• Another thing to think about, depending on what fits into your story, is the question as to whether your character is very obviously antisocial, or whether they go about it in a more covert secret way. Can they control which symptoms they show when? Or are they lost to their impulses and emotions? Do they come from a background where hiding their symptoms was essential, or were they able/forced to present obviously?

• Theres also a more mixed presentation where some symptoms are more obvious and others are not, depending on stuff like what meets your needs best, how much control you have and whether or not you've done any active work on the symptoms yet, etc.

• Then you can also think about the personal opinion of your character on symptom presentation. Do they believe that they should get to just be themselves? Are they of the opinion that people just have to deal with their symptoms and accept them that way? Or do they think that they have to hide some symptoms in order to fit into society better? Have they potentially adopted some prosocial ways of thinking and model their presentation after that? Depending on what it is, it will obviously look different.

3. The Causes of their ASPD

• Depending on the type of trauma they went trough that made them develop ASPD, presentation will differ. Its highly individual of course, but theres some themes, like people who come from violent households often being violent themselves, people who were neglected struggling with the social aspects like empathy & remorse, people who were lied to/manipulated/berated all the time adopting similar manners, people who had to commit crimes and/or witnessed those often continuing to do so because its normal to them, etc.

• The other aspect is genetics, where certain tendencies can be given from parent to child or grandparent to grandchild, such as impulsive tendencies, the type of temper someone has, access (or denied access) to certain parts of the brain that are responsible for prosocial emotions, etc. Those genetics mix with the trauma and sometimes push the presentation in certain directions, so its a thing to keep in mind.

• Some CD/ASPD symptoms can also develop/be made worse trough bullying, intense experiences in childhood/teens, hanging around with people who engage in/normalize certain behaviors, etc. (ex: kids with delinquient tendencies who hang around other kids with those, may be more likely to develop that as a continous behavior). So its also worth thinking about who your character was around while they grew up, who influenced them how and what was normalized to them.

4. The Current DSM-V ASPD Criteria

• When it comes to the core symptoms of ASPD, theres 3 out of 7 DSM criteria points your character should meet. It doesn't matter which ones, but it has to be at least three! Your character should also be older than 18, have shown conduct disorder symptoms before they turned 15 and have their ASPD symptoms even in absence of other comorbidities, substances and/or episodes (Criterion B-D which I am not quoting, but thats it summed up)

• The 7 criteria points recognized in the DSM-V are (and I quote):

A. A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of rights of others, occuring since age 15 years, as indicated by three (or more) of the following:

1. Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors, as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are ground for arrest.

2. Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases or conning others for personal profit or pleasure.

3. Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead.

4. Irritability or aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults.

5. Reckless disregard for safety of self or others.

6. Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations.

7. Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated or stolen from another.

• Everything after "as indicated by" is an example of a possible presentation. The DSM-V acknowledges that there are other possible ways in which symptoms can show up.

5. The Alternative ASPD Model in the DSM-V

• This is not used to officially diagnose people with ASPD, but is one idea, as to how personality disorder classification could work in the future. It looks at the symptoms as dimensions, under which possible experiences could fall and mentions quite a few things the current criteria doesn't, so I'll quote it below as well:

A. Moderate or greater impairment in personality functioning, manifested by characteristic difficulties in two or more of the following areas:

1. Identity: Egocentrism, self esteem derived from personal gain, power or pleasure.

2. Self direction: Goal setting based on personal gratification, absence of prosocial internal standards, associated with failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behavior.

3. Empathy: Lack of concern for feelings, needs or suffering of others, lack of remorse after hurting or mistreating another.

4. Intimacy: Incapacity for mutually intimate relationships, as exploitation is primary means of relating to others, including by deceit and coercion, use of dominance or intimidation to control others.

B. Six or more of the following seven pathological personality traits:

1. Manipulativeness (an aspect of antagonism): Frequent use of subterfuge to influence or control others, use of seduction, charm, glibness, or ingratiation to achieve ones ends.

2. Callousness (an aspect of antagonism): Lack of concern for feelings or problems of others, lack of guilt or remorse about negative or harmful effects of ones actions on others, aggression, sadism.

3. Deceitfulness (an aspect of antagonism): Dishonesty and fraudulence, misrepresentation of self, embellishment or fabrication when relating events.

4. Hostility (an aspect of antagonism): Persistent or frequent angry feelings, anger or irritability in response to minor slights and insults, mean, nasty or vengeful behavior.

5. Risk taking (an aspect of disinhibition): Engagement in dangerous, risky and potentially self damaging activities, unnecessarily and without regard for consequences, boredom proneness and thoughtless initiation of activities to counter boredom, lack of concern for ones limitations and denial of the reality of personal danger.

6. Impulsivity (an aspect of disinhibition): Acting on the spur of the moment in response to immediate stimuli, acting on a momentary basis without a plan or consideration of outcomes, difficulty establishing and following plans.

7. Irresponsibility (an aspect of disinhibition): Disregard for - and failure to honor - financial and other obligations or commitments, lack of respect for - and lack of follow trough on - agreements and promises.

Note: The individual is at least 18 years of age.

6. Other Common Experiences

• Theres a few experiences that quite a few people with ASPD report, that have not explicitly made it into the criteria. Sometimes these are examples for certain symptoms and/or are implied, sometimes these have been studied but haven't been written as a requirement for diagnosis and sometimes these are not supported by science/still debated by science.

• Apathy, a total lack of emotion, overall muted emotions or having trouble to access certain emotions, is something some people with ASPD talk about a lot. There is no scientific consensus yet, as to whether this is an ASPD symptom. Some theories suggest it falls under PTSD (absence of positive emotions & tendency to experience negative ones and/or having dissociated away from the emotions and/or having put up a sort of non permanent barrier as a form of protection), depression (common comorbidity, anhedonia & apathy can both be part of it), other PDs (schizoid, borderline episodes, etc.) or something else entirely. While its not sure whether its caused by ASPD, or not, a lot of people with it seem to report differences in their capability to feel a full range of intense emotions.

• The criteria talks about aggressiveness and physical fights, which is not the only way in which this symptom seems to commonly present. Harming animals, homicidal ideation, dealing with aggressive thoughts & urges without actually acting on them, verbal aggression, taking out aggression on self or property, etc. are also often reported.

• The current criteria doesn't mention it at all and the alternative talks about a complete inability to form bonds, but community consensus seems to be, that while forming emotional bonds is harder & happens more rarely, it is still possible. The intensity differs (some describe the bond as a logical construct, some only do platonic bonds, some only do romantic bonds, some describe deep obsessiveness, etc.) as does the number of people they find themselves bonded with. Theres also a significant amount of people in the community that describe a phenamenon similar to BPDs FP (aka a bond to a person that is defined by the symptoms of the personality disorder).

• There is some debate on whether or not an absence of prosocial inner standards makes it impossible or more difficult to define personal morals and understand how morality works. Some people with ASPD say they have no difficulties, some report that they struggle with the understanding part, some say they struggle with upholding those norms and others struggle with both. It seems like ASPD could make it more difficult to understand and/or respect the way societies morals work for some, which makes room for conflict.

• Personality Disorders are what we call egosyntonic, which usually means that they are in alignment with what we as people think is the correct way to feel, think and act. This doesn't mean that its inherently impossible to change the way you think/feel/act and that recovery is impossible, but it may make it more difficult to break out of the patterns (if that is what one wants). Some people show little problems in this area, some need a lot of outer assistance and others either can't or don't want to change.

7. Other Things To Keep In Mind

• You should probably think about whether your character fits the psychopathy subtype & if yes which definition of it you want to use (theres different theories)

• ASPD can influence every aspect of your life, so it may interfere with things in such a roundabout way that you wouldn't even think about it at first (ex: Disregard for safety of self => Disregard for your own health => You get ill carelessly => You dont take ur meds responsibly, or put off a doctors visit for months/years => You end up with longterm damage => You don't treat it responsibly => You get more ill => Death. Which happens to ppl without ASPD too, but can indeed be a presentation of that symptom.). Additionally comorbdities interact & interfere with ASPD symptoms and may alter/add onto presentation!

• You could also always add the ASPD stigma into the mix and how your character responds to it/how it influences them. Does it make them not wanna recover? Does it make them wanna recover even more to prove everyone wrong? Are they trying to get into therapy but no therapist wants them? Is it on a court record and causing problems that way? Do they lose relationships/friendships? Does it change the way they see themselves or others? etc.

• The key with ASPD characters is not to just make them into good people or portray them as angels and also not to always make them into the cruel villain. The key is to show that they are an individual, a human being, a single example for what this disorder can present as. If you can somehow portray that the presentation of ASPD in your character is just how this specific character is and is not how the disorder inherently presents itself, you nailed it! Cus u'll have ASPDers who want to just stay the way they are and who are exactly what you'd imagine a cruel villain to be like, you have ASPDers who you couldn't ever distinguish from a prosocial person, cus they learned to blend in and you've got ASPDers who decide that they wanna do a 180 and behave in the most prosocial way possible and then you have everything in between and beyond. So as long as your character would meet criteria, as long as you're not spreading misinfo and as long as its clear that its just one example of a possible presentation, you're good in my opinion (but this is indeed just my opinion and others may disagree).

Note: If you need examples for the specific symptoms, you can ofc send another ask, this is more of a general overview of what exists, cus going into detail on each would make this post wayyy too long.

[zorilleerrant]

Khoa never thought he’d have another son. There were apprentices, of course, with distance between student and master, but never anyone he’d allow to see his true face, not even in a game, not even in a test to see if they recognized him without his mask.

Billy can recognize him no matter the mask.

Is it so strange? It can’t be. People all over the world since time immemorial have seen themselves in their children. His parents did, with every step he took. Of all the parents he knows – good and bad – they find themselves in the younger generation, and that’s meaningful to them. Not a kind of love he’s ever pursued. Even finding the good within the obligation took so much work that it still doesn’t seem to fit, when he wants to help the boy.

He's known that Captain Marvel wasn’t real. Anyone can see that from the too smooth complexion, the jerkiness of movement like animation pulling him into the uncanny valley. Like Superman he’s a public hero, and like most public heroes he puts on a performance to dazzle and reassure. Khoa, like Bruce, prefers to stick to the shadows, and it all could’ve ended there, neatly, one job together and ways parted like closing a file.

But Khoa’s had much longer than Billy to recognize people regardless of their mask. He was good before the training and he knew the necessity of it, but Billy. Billy hasn’t had the training, just that same childhood knack.

Billy has the same furrowed brow that smooths into an easy smile, cherubic cheeks gleaming to convince the adults around him that he knows his way. The gentle voice that reassures people he won’t be a bother. He helps his fellow students with their homework and their hobbies; he guides his siblings in how to make a sandwich with the last of the peanut butter. Ever helpful, so he doesn’t stand out. So they won’t kick him out.

He’s like Khoa when he was small, knowing something was missing deep inside of him, turning and turning to catch it, a dog chasing his own tail. So he acted, and he befriended everyone he could, because if they liked him well enough they’d never turn on him. Billy’s been turned on, once or twice. Khoa can see it in the way the smile doesn’t always reach his eyes. In the way his hands dart in and out before anyone can see.

It’s no wonder he can put on a whole different self and charm the world when he’s learned at the feet of public schools how to look his best. How else would he learn, if not through trial and error? Khoa could see that, in the adult, but it’s different, looking at a child. Someone who still has years to go before he stops needing people completely. Someone who could benefit from having a teacher willing to be gentle about imparting lessons.

It’s different, looking at this too-friendly boy and the shadows in his eyes that haven’t yet faded with age.