Three full pages of material with appropriate, professional, up-to-date references and citations. Here’s the prompt: Like all DSM diagnoses, the acquisition and perpetuation of Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) is affected by Nature and Nurture. However, what role does Personal Responsibility and Free Will play in APD? Please use professional references related to Personal Responsibility and Free Will, and how they relate to APD.

ANSWER

The role of Personal Responsibility and Free Will play in Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD)

Introduction

Nature and Nurture can in most instances be blamed for the acquisition of antisocial personality disorder. However, other factors such as personal responsibility and free will can in some instances be blamed for the condition in multiple situations.  Personal responsibility involves the idea of making a choice, instigating, or undertaking an own action. Free will on the other hand is the freedom to make an own choice about some cation, how we look at ourselves and how people interact with each other.  The two could contribute to a growth in cases of mental disorders such as antisocial personality disorder.

Free will is an essential factor in the contribution of how people relate to others. A person could choose certain actions that may result in the development of psychological issues,  resulting in conditions such as  Antisocial personality disorder. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), there is a connection between any kind of mental disorder and freedom of will.  According to the DSM-IV,  each mental disorder is conceptualized as a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome (Meynen, 2010). It could also be a result of certain patterns which occur in an individual, leading to certain types of distress.  However, the meaning of freedom within the contexts of DSM-IV remains unarticulated.

Anti-social disorder just like many personality disorders, with long standing patterns of behaviors and experiences, which impairs the functioning of a person leading to distress.  People with such a condition do not follow the norms of society, and in many cases do not care about others.   A person with anti-social behaviors may tend to impulsive, reckless, and sometimes can get violent. This is a common disorder mostly in men as compared to their women counterparts.  In many events, a person with such a disorder may tend to have the tendency of being either neglectful or lack an association with his/her peers and friends.  However, a person with such a   disorder can be charming in some cases but may tend to constantly change his mood based on how he feels.

Contemporary theories of free will tend to fall into one or two general categories about the mental condition. Some insist on those who are skeptical about the human freedom reality and moral responsibility. They are the compatibilist and libertarian accounts, where they defend the reality of free will and disagree on its nature.  Those who believe in moral responsibility have as familiar or skeptical views which belie that humans do not have free will, and hence cannot be morally responsible for their actions.

Some attributes of antisocial personality disorder could be attributed to personal responsibility. A case would involve one’s choice to fail and adhere to social norms concerning lawful behaviors. Repeating such behaviors for a person would mean that it would gradually grow to become a challenging issue.  Other anti-social trends such as deceitfulness, where a person continually lies, uses aliases and cons for their benefits and pleasure, can also demonstrate the role of personality and also on free will, which ultimately develops to an antisocial disorder. Free will can be blamed for a person’s condition especially if he/she tends to constantly be irresponsible, where he/ she may fail to respect work behavior and honor his/her financial obligations.

Personal responsibility may also be blamed for the disorder when a person continually shows no regard for others for a long time and continues to disregard them and ignore their rights and feelings. In numerous cases, free will could also be blamed when one antagonizes and treats others harshly, with callous differences. In some cases when one violates the law and becomes a criminal, the justice system may tend to ignore other factors and blame the actions on personal responsibility or the free will to behave in a certain way, especially if it caused harm to others. Several people with ASPD trigger their actions by getting involved in substance use. This as a result triggers their reactions, a factor that may cause them, to get involved in criminal and unethical behaviors. This could be blamed more on their personality responsibility and free will, rather than blaming it on natural causes.

Conclusion

There is therefore a need for the interventions to also factor in the role of personal responsibility and free will to persons with such disorders. The disorder is believed to have its roots in childhood, there will be a need to hence spot such early warning signs. The early interventions will help in avoiding severe repercussions of the condition. There is also a need for emphasizing ion positive relationships with such a person, as a way of making sure that he/she mainly works on believing and trusting others, which will ultimately help one to improve on his well-being.  A positive environment can play a major role in encouraging more positive responsibility and ensure that a person with a disability gets around the rules, and makes good choices.

References

Meynen, G. (2010). Free will and mental disorder: Exploring the relationship.

Zürcher, T. (2020). Free Will, Responsibility, and Blame in Psychotherapy. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198817338.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780198817338-e-37