Misrepresentation of Antisocial Personality Disorder in the Media

Written by: Emily Singh

Edited by: Jonathan

Human nature is rooted in community and shared culture. We have naturally grouped together and formed social norms to which the majority conforms to. When we observe behavior that does not conform to these norms, we deem it as negative and, at times even dangerous. Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is defined by the repeated breaking of social norms, deception, aggression, and lack of remorse ("Antisocial Personality Disorder"). ASPD is often undiagnosed due to the nature of it. Those with ASPD may not intrinsically understand why society’s norms are the norms. Due to the symptoms of ASPD, the media has changed the perception of the disorder to being “psychopathic”, causing widespread misinformation and stigma. 

Media, referring to TV shows and movies, is known for its drama and glorification of real life. This dramatic effect creates an unreliable portrayal of topics, including health conditions, and leads to mass misinformation. The line between reality and television is blurred due to the drama making the show engaging, emotional ties to the actors and the half-truths told. Watching television is the third most common American activity, the first two being sleeping and eating (Badger and Quealy). Television consumes our mind! As the popularity of reading declines, TV has become our main source of entertainment and therefore where we learn from. We see the importance of educational programs for children, yet there is nothing preventing adults from absorbing misinformation from the media. News sources are able to use this to their advantage to increase popularity for certain political parties, but this same principle applies to stigma and generalizations being used in drama or action TV shows (Badger and Quealy). 

In the media, characters with ASPD are often portrayed as being a “psychopath”. This is not a factually accurate term, but rather a harmful generalization, as it is used to describe a person who has no regard for life or humanity and is typically violent in nature. Typically, these characters are villains or the antagonists; They are murderers, manipulators and criminals. A huge flaw the media makes in these portrayals is misrepresenting the viewpoint of people with ASPD. While people with ASPD may break laws, the reason for this is that they do not understand why our social norms and expectations exist, not because they are malicious individuals. A very small percentage of those with ASPD are violent, and when they are, it is not for the satisfaction of seeing someone else hurt. A large and dangerous misconception is that people with ASPD do not feel emotions, but they do. People with ASPD simply feel emotions differently; they confuse emotions in situations (Viding et al.). 

Portraying ASPD as a synonym to being emotionless or violent is incredibly harmful to the community. Understandably, television is not an accurate source of information, but it is imperative to stop perpetuating stereotypes that marginalize a group of people. ASPD is incredibly difficult to diagnose and even recognize in oneself, and if media sources portrayed it accurately, this could lead to less misconceptions and overall a better understanding of other people. When we have forms of media that accurately depict different conditions, we allow people to find a sense of belonging and relief. 

References

American Psychiatric Association. “Antisocial Personality Disorder: Often Overlooked.” APA Blogs, 9 Mar. 2021, https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/antisocial-personality-disorder-often-overlooked.

Rosenthal, Elisabeth. “What We Watch Affects How We Act.” The New York Times, 25 July 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/upshot/social-effects-television.html.

BetterHelp Editorial Team. “Sociopathy in Media: What They Get Right and Wrong.” BetterHelp, 

https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/sociopathy/sociopathy-in-media-what-they-get-right-and-wrong/. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

Glenn, Andrea L., and Adrian Raine. “Neurocriminology: Implications for the Punishment, Prediction and Prevention of Criminal Behaviour.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience, vol. 15, no. 1, 2014, pp. 54–63. PubMed Central, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3825036/.