Antisocial Behavior: Personality Disorders from Hostility to Homicide

Antisocial behavior takes on many forms, from rebellious teens with green hair and pierced skin to the truly dangerous homicidal individuals whose horrible stories fill our newspapers. Parents worry about their children as they are exposed to the heated climate of violence in contemporary society, a time of decaying morals and values. The rise in sociopathic behavior among adults and children, whether in tense inner cities or in tranquil suburban and rural settings, is masterfully chronicled by Dr. Benjamin B. Wolman, a leading psychologist and noted national expert who has studied these trends for over half a century. "There is a growing incidence of sociopathic antisocial behavior . . . coupled with an attitude of moral apathy," Dr. Wolman asserts. He cites international statistics pointing to a showdown between dangerous individuals-the violent, the charming, and the passive-and the societies that create them. How has the spread of democratic ideals actually increased the potential for antisocial behavior? What social and cultural factors must be changed if free societies are to reduce this alarming trend? Rather than simply complain about the problem, Dr. Wolman examines the familial and societal causes, and proposes clear-cut solutions to the problem-including radical changes to our educational system and the mass media.