Author's Note: These are selected excerpts from my project on AsPD(ASP)/psychopathy. This work is copyrighted (c) 2002 lycium7 and may not be reproduced or printed without making reference to this website on your list of references.

In a modern society that stresses individuality, people often seem to lose track of what is occurring outside themselves. Occasionally pausing to comment on the latest news story with a coworker, they seem to pay far more attention to how Wall Street is faring than the latest school shooting; however, the question that some concerned individuals pose is why such children and adolescents are acting out antisocially, whether that is expressed violently or through other means.

Once thought to be genetic or hereditary in nature, or often attributed to family background and socioeconomic status, past studies of ASP (antisocial personality) disordered and psychopathic individuals revealed that most came from broken homes, low-income, lower-class backgrounds, and that their early behaviors were also reinforced by association with other antisocials. Recently, however, the rise of antisocial behavior among children from more affluent families suggests the causes of such behaviors are also influenced by the media, such as television and film, music, video games, pornography, and other forms of easily accessed, modern entertainment. Coupled with such media influences is a subsequent lack of adequate maternal/paternal care and a lack of moral guidance which also cofactors in the backgrounds of such disordered persons.

Despite one�s seeming concerns, good intentions are not enough; experts have warned it is time to wake up to a new problem which is running rampant. Whether one calls them antisocials, psychopaths (sociopaths), or even malignant narcissists, psychologists and sociologists claim that a disturbing rise of people with dangerous personality disorders is on the rise, especially among the young. This increase of antisocial disorders is a sign of the times, a �lack of concern coupled with an attitude of moral apathy.� (Wolman, 1999, p. 15).

Indeed, without morality, one cannot be concerned. Antisocials and psychopaths are very comfortable with their immorality, they are not bothered by it in the least, for �the second primary symptom of psychopathy is the missing or deficient sense of morality.� (Guggenbuhl-Craig, 1980, p. 95).

In consequence, a society which has become much too lax in its morality will breed nationwide apathy, and such a combination can be deadly, as we have already observed in the rash of school shootings, violent crimes, and alarming antisocial behavior, in general, that also seems to be an imminent, outstanding trait of an entire generation which Dr. Robert Hare refers to as the �cool� (Hare, 1993, p. 177) society.

Often witnessed in pop culture through the media, there is a disturbing glorification of �coolness,� apparent apathy, and disinterest regarding the safety or welfare of others, for �we are certainly making it much easier for the psychopaths in our midst to express themselves in ways that would have been considered intolerable or socially unacceptable in the past� (Hare, 1999, p. 177), as �more and more people care for no one except themselves. More and more people have no moral commitments. . .No feelings of remorse, no sense of guilt--an epidemic of sociopaths.� (Wolman, 1999, p. 31).

Is this true? Is the United States becoming a nation of fledgling antisocials and psychopaths? First of all, it should be made clear that antisocial behaviors and disorders are not just a symptom of American society, it is equally important to note its pandemic, tragic scope. Noda Masaaki, a psychopathologist from Japan, has commented on the latest rash of psychopathic murders in her country as being indicative of a �perpetrator. . .seeking a sense of magical omnipotence, a feeling of see what I can do!� She also adds that these murders have emerged from the 1980�s, a new type of murderer that �sees human life as something that can be turned on and off at will, just as in an electronic game or a horror video.� (Kaoru & Masaaki, 1997).

The mention of media influence is one of the most important factors in the rise of antisocial behavior. Video games and horror videos, as Masaaki mentioned, were also said to have influenced the Columbine killers. Studies have proven that video games are not only addictive but that children learn to emulate violence. Music with the wrong message, whether it�s Marilyn Manson, Thug Rap, or even Britney Spears, can also have a very dangerous influence on the morality and value system of impressionable young people, for instance, �nothing in the culture wars makes a stronger argument for the defense of conservative values than rap music.� (Fields, 1998).

Worse yet, rap seems to be one of the most popular forms of pop music these days; far outrivaling the �Mansonites� or the pop music �Lolitas� like Spears and her imitators, �rap expresses the worst kind of images emerging from a postmodern society that has consigned a generation of young men and women to the darkest dramas of the desperately lost.� (Fields, 1998).

Another dangerous element of rap music is its inherent �misogyny. . .alienation from common humanity and community. The lyrics employ vulgar street idioms because both the language and experience of poetry or romance are absent from the lives of the rappers and their audience as well.� (Fields, 1998).

Misogyny and violence against women is another strong indication that society has become dangerously antisocial in its behavior, because rape, for example, is not really a sexual crime but committed to control and overpower the victim. Dr. Leland Heller writes that every one out of four girls is sexually abused (current statistics show this is actually higher), and symptomatic of a �sick society� (Heller, 1999, p. 136 ). Again, to show that this it not an isolated societal trend, Shinji Miyadai, a professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University and author of The Choice of Uniformed Schoolgirls views enjo kosai (older men using pre-teens and teens for sex in Japan) as also being evident of a �sick� society.

Another trend in Japan which has brought about recent fervor from some religious groups as well as women�s rights activists concerns misogynistic entertainment like anime (Japanese animation), manga (comics), and hentai (x-rated versions of both), which is actually geared towards children. In Japan, it�s not uncommon, for instance, to see a young man reading a �Rape Man� manga on the bus in full view. All types of anime are also becoming quite popular among young people in the United States as well.

Takamura Kaoru, commenting on the latest psychopathic murderer in Japan, explains that the letter the killer wrote expresses �he was the type who would immerse himself in such a world. . .through video games and animated films.� (Kaoru & Masaaki, 1997).

While some view anime as harmless cartoons and comic books, we can be assured, from the attitudes of many Japanese, that this is not just child�s play. Studies conducted indicate that �the most significant genre in this context (causing antisocial behavior) is cartoons.� (Gale Group, 2000). In Japan, young people who are addicted to such entertainment are referred to as Otakus, which directly translated means �house.� The Otaku is a person, most often male, who is so obsessed with fantasy that he shuts himself up in his house all day, watching anime, reading manga, and playing video games.

This new obsession has led to what the Japanese call the Japanese Psychopath, a current rise in young people, self-admitted Otakus, who, for no reason, commit horrific rapes and misogynistic crimes. Most often, they are also pedophiles, for all genres of anime tend to exploit images of little girls and teenagers.

In addition to the misogynistic element in young peoples� entertainment, there is also violence and profanity in television and popular movies to worry about. Enrique Carranza, an Argentinian who now lives in the United States, comments that the state of his country today can be directly traced to an element of �moral decay. . .everything that you see on television in my country is perverted; nudity, sex, seen freely by children. . .� American networks are following in this tradition as well.

Dr. Benjamin Wolman writes that �physical violence and sexual license, so widely practiced in the last days of the Roman Empire, are being taken out from the catacombs and distributed by mass media, and glorified as the latest and newest pattern of natural and spontaneous behavior.� (p. 127). In addition, frighteningly close in mimicking both Argentina�s plight and the state of our country, �Roman emperors bowed to the wealthy and fed the slum dwellers with handouts of bread and entertainment-- panem et circenses (bread and circuses).� (Wolman, 1999, p. 145). This cheap, mindnumbing, but also dangerous entertainment is not only viewed today on television, cable television, or in popular films, but also sports, especially those entertainment sports like wrestling, demolition and Monster Truck derbies, which were once thought to be a blight of the lower-middle class, mostly male population.

The recent debate is, does such amoral apathy from our modern day panem et circenses really affect everybody? We often stereotype the lower class as being culprit, because they are �less cultured� than those with an education. For this very reason, director Stanley Kubrick depicted psychopath Alex in �A Clockwork Orange�, as a lover of Beethoven�s music; also, in his last film, �Eyes Wide Shut�, Kubrick�s upper class was both cultured in a saccharine manner, yet party to the deplorable moral corruption taking place in covert. It is also interesting to note that just like the ancient Roman Empire, and like modern-day Argentina, pre-war Germany was in a very decadent cultural state before Hitler was able to take control. Perhaps it is easier to take hold of a nation under the influence of mindless entertainment?

When my father gave a speech in a mostly middle-class/upper class high school about growing up in Germany under the reign of Hitler during World War II, he was surprised to note the looks that students gave him, �They looked bored, there was one guy who was sleeping while I was speaking.� He added that he couldn�t believe just how apathetically they reacted to him. While I highly doubt these young people were antisocial, their reactions seem to be typical of many teenagers today, and Dr. Wolman has observed from his studies that antisocial behaviors are also not just relegated to the lower classes, but to be found everywhere, including the more affluent suburbs.

Strangely enough, although antisocials and psychopaths are apathetic when it comes to serious moral issues, they are also curiously adamant about their own rights, as �contemporary civilized and democratic societies have developed an ultrapermissive attitude that, in a way, condones and even encouraged license and violence. . .� (Wolman, 1999, p. 145). This leads us to why such violence combined with apathy has become almost a fad among mostly white suburban youths who now dress to emulate their favorite rap star or, like the Columbine killers, Marilyn Manson. Not to mention, these auditory and visual influences are being offered to the MTV Generation by the means of slick, well-packaged videos or numerous, decadent and deplorable films like American Pie.

As a result, �rappers, rollers and rockers who tap into the big time with bite and bitterness draw millions to their records and concerts. . .the teenage and young adult zeitgeist is made up of rebels with and without causes� (Field, 2001), while �movies (and other forms of visual media) often depict a high-consumption lifestyle that is largely unattainable. . .and may induce a gap between media-fueled expectations of material gratification and experience that fails to meet them. . .repeated exposure to almost any type of stimulus tends to induce positive feelings towards it.� (Snyder, 1995).

In consequence, our society has become an adolescent culture, what Dr. Wolman calls �regression� towards a child-like selfishness and ego. (p. 63). It is the same phenomenon that Noda mentions in Japan, as �adults have become more like children, and children more like adults. Having lost their distinct roles, neither are able to establish criteria to govern their own behavior.� (Kaoru & Masaaki, 1997). Takamura adds that �if that�s the case, then at a fundamental level, Japanese society may be going haywire even as everyone appears to be functioning normally. . .the boundary between criminals and law-abiding people is also becoming blurred.� (Kaoru & Masaaki, 1997).

In relation to adults regressing to childlike, selfish behaviors is another very important factor affecting the lives of many children in the United States. This is of course, the high divorce rate and flippant attitude towards relationships and sex. Dr. Donald B. Ardell writes that one of the signs of a mentally healthy person is the "ability. . . to fulfill relationships with others� (Ardell, 2001), as respecting life begins with respecting the feelings of others, and honoring our obligations to them.

As a consequence, children learn from their parents and society, that relationships and people are disposable, that casual sex is great, and that human life, as a result, is nothing to be taken seriously, so hurting somebody�s feelings or using someone for gain becomes second nature, just as it is for the antisocial, for antisocials and psychopaths are not able to fulfill meaningful relationships, in fact, they are unable to truly love anyone. As a result, life itself becomes loveless, without any real value attached to it or members of the human race.

To add to this, popular shows like MTV�s �Loveline� give the impression to young people that sex is just self-indulgent gratification, and to be taken lightly. This show, for example, consists of two grown men sitting on stage, taking calls from young people who need advice about their kinky sexual preferences and Jerry Springer relationship dilemmas. As a result, children, teenagers, and young adults everywhere, are being inundated and bombarded with such dangerous messages, and the sad fact is that most often those who are expressly condoning such behavior are people like Dr. Drew of the aforementioned MTV television program.

In addition, despite all their apathy, those with antisocial behaviors are not only apathetic about morality and life in general, but when it comes to their own rights they are curiously childlike, hostile, and demanding, which makes the problem even worse. �What happened to social rules of behavior?� asks Dr. Wolman, �must the selfish, self-righteous, belligerent sociopaths win and put and end to human values and humanity? What can we do?� (p. 145).

Dr. Donald Black, an expert in the field of antisocial behavior, writes that such behaviors are �among the most vexing problems psychiatrists face.� (Black, 2000). Dr. Robert Hare, another well known and respected researcher of psychopathy for over twenty years, asks �are we unknowingly allowing a society to evolve that is the perfect breeding ground, and perhaps even a �killing field� for psychopaths? As out morning newspaper tells us, this question grows more pressing every day.� (Hare, 1993, p. 82).

Most experts agree, American society is becoming more antisocial and we must do something to alleviate it, but are such behaviors, once thought of to be mostly genetic, capable of being controlled? Besides the aforementioned factors, what do statistical studies show about the influences of media? While it used to be thought that most disorders in the antisocial spectrum arose from primarily genetic factors, it has also been disclosed that environmental and sociological factors, along with (or without) biological influence, can be just as powerful, and indeed, seem to be far more important in creating this new army of antisocials and psychopaths in our midst.

Peggy O�Mara writes that �these behaviors have their roots in infancy.� (O�Mara, 1998). She claims that conscience develops �as we attach securely to one consistent caregiver in the first three years of life.� If this is true, then statistics on divorce, broken families, and spousal/child abuse fit into the destructive profiles of most people with antisocial behaviors; adding to this, with the rise in divorce, single mothers, and abuse of all kinds, it�s no surprise than that such behaviors are increasing in scope. Also, families with �bad� or absent fathers also tend to live in poverty, since the father is usually the source of income for his family, and as a result �many children who become antisocial endure poverty, substandard housing, bad neighborhoods, parental abuse and neglect, and inadequate nutrition and medical care.� (Black, 1999, p. 117).

Children growing up in such bleak conditions are also liable to not care about their own life, and as a consequence, not be concerned about others� lives. This can arise in antisocial behaviors such as risk taking that is illegal, immoral, or unhealthy, and �lack of emotional responsiveness is a sign of trouble, as is unpredictable, inconsistent, and unstable behavior. . .troubled individuals have no interest in or make no efforts towards self-improvement, nor are they able to communicate in an uninhibited way.� (O�Mara, 1998).

Again, we must also tie in both the environmental factors with that of strong psychosocial influences such as the media. One young psychopath remarked that he had been �raised by television�, since his mother was never at home and his alcoholic father had abandoned the family when he was seven. A child without moral guidance, lack of love, and left on his own is in for trouble, as it is �almost impossible to protect children from premature sexuality with the explicit images that they can inadvertently access on billboards and television, in magazines, and movies.� (O�Mara, 1998). As a consequence, the aforementioned subject said that he became sexually active quite young, having experimented with all types of sex, as well as becoming an alcoholic at age 12, doing drugs of all kinds, and dropping out of school. In addition, he became familiar with other young antisocials and misfits like himself, who partook in vandalism and other destructive activities.

The results of such associations can be extremely virulent, and always tragic in the end. Theodore Millon, author of Disorders of Personality -- DMS-IV and Beyond, states, �Having been subjected to parental neglect, indifference, or hostility throughout their growing years, future antisocials learn not only to reject their parents' questionable values, but to actively oppose the standards of most of the adult world.� (p. 531) One consequence of this is that their �actions. . .undermine the development of an empathetic conscience or superego. These children will most often turn to peers, to those others barren and lost souls who wander aimlessly in an indifferent if not hostile world.�

One of the saddest results of such associations is that empathy and love become alien and even hostile to the antisocial or psychopath, for �potential sources of warmth and affection become wary, creating the indifference and rejection that prompted the individual's distrust in the first place. Hence, the antisocial has activated a repetition of the past, further intensifying resentments, the source of isolation, and the need for autonomy. . .� (Millon, 1995, p. 531).

Scott Snyder writes of something similar, which is reinforced by media images today. He claims that these delinquents come in two forms, the undersocialised, more aggressive antisocial or psychopath, or the socialized, aggressive delinquent (Snyder, 1995). He mentions several films that expose and reinforce these images in such films as Bad Boys, Knock on Any Door, Rumble Fish, The Wanderers, A Clockwork Orange, The Lords of Flat-Bush, Tuff Turf, and Colors.

He further explains that a low self-esteem, which usually comes from one�s detrimental family background and social status, can �contribute to delinquency,� as seen in the film Are There Our Children?, presenting the story of �Eddie Brand, a lower-middle class teenager from a broken home who initially becomes delinquent and then a killer. . .He is emotionally shattered and believes the only way he can become famous is through criminal activity.� Also, the �lonely isolated character of Cal Trask. . .in East of Eden. . .(who�s) mother abandoned him as a child so that she could pursue her own interests. . .his self-esteem was further damaged by his rejecting father.� (Snyder, 1995).

As a result, �delinquents have consistently been shown to believe they have little control over their destiny.� This results in problems relating to �immediate gratification and sensation seeking. . .external locus of control. . .immorality. . .lack of empathy. . .� (Snyder, 1995), which create what we now know as the antisocial personality disorder, or in addition to ASP, psychopathy.

Indeed, broken homes and bad peer relations, in addition to the reinforcement found in media images, are strong factors, for �research suggests. . .association between broken homes and delinquency. . .� and �the quality of peer relations is associated with the development of emotional security, self-esteem, behavioral norms, and moral values.� (Snyder, 1995).

What is most disturbing about this is that the antisocial or psychopath is not just confined to his or her inner circle, for they continue to wreak havoc and destruction throughout their lives. Many of them have the desire to socially climb, since �those who cannot relate to others on an eros level can do so on a power level.� (Guggenbuhl-Craig, 1999, p. 128). As a consequence, many of these disordered people cause tremendous damage to people in all walks of life.

With the latest scandals involving Enron and President Clinton�s already forgotten foibles, it should also be noted that �the permissive attitude toward unfair and dishonest practices in business and in public life, where public opinion, movies, and television, wittingly or unwittingly, glorify the �tough guy�, provides the fertile soil for a rise in sociopathic behavior.� (Wolman, 1999, p. 21).

So what is Wolman suggesting we do in particular? He adds, �the problem is with us, men and women who can and should defend themselves by total disapproval, by unanimous condemnation, and, whenever necessary, by force.� (Wolman, 1999, p. 23).

Wolman�s views might be viewed as radical, but his research has shown that the hope to treat such individuals with psychotherapy or counseling is not promising. Having been involved with such disordered people, I understand that getting through to them is extremely difficult and only leaves the victim feeling more victimized in the end. The problem indeed lies with those of us who continually enable and support the antisocials and their behaviors; that is the main problem, in my personal opinion.

Regardless of one�s opinions about such psychosocial issues, young people, in particular, are becoming more antisocial, and is reflected in the fact that youth between the ages of 12 and 24 committed roughly half of all crimes of violence, fatal and nonfatal, reported in the U.S. (Bracher, 2000). Mark Bracher also mentions exposure to media violence as a prime factor in creating antisocial youths.

Given the opinions of various researchers, and specifically experts on such disorders, it is astounding that our culture continues to almost accept antisocial behavior, ranging from �hostility to homicide,� (Wolman, 1999), as a normal part of our society. It is not normal by any means, and if we continue to not do anything about it, Wolman warns that we are in for a very disturbing and dangerous near future once these young antisocials and psychopaths become members of adult society.