8 Personality Disorders He had been convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor. In response to the charge, Ambrose insisted that he had visited the sheriff’s depart- ment in due time after his move to register but there was nobody there to help him. While incarcerated, Ambrose informed officers he had committed a murder he had stabbed Steve, an African American man, who had called him a child molester. Adding to Ambrose’s anger was the fact that the man had been accompanied by a white girl. Ambrose stated he had been under the influence of alcohol and felt remorse for killing the “wrong man.” He later commented that this was not his first murder admitting membership in a cult-like group, he spoke openly about his duties in the brotherhood and about those who ranked above him in the organization. It seems that Ambrose’s remorse was not so much for killing someone but rather for killing the wrong person. The defendant’s history revealed sexual abuse suffered while grow- ing up in a close-knit Caucasian Catholic rural community and signifi- cant chemical dependency of long standing. He graduated high school, entered into a brief marriage, and fathered five children with different partners. His criminal record listed about 10 arrests, most of them for violent acts against others. While incarcerated, he earned a bachelor of science degree. He demonstrated angry and irritable mood, poor judgment, elated affect, rigid racial beliefs, and a tendency to blame others for his behav- ior. He denied current suicidal or homicidal ideation as well as hallucina- tions. Current mental status was alert and oriented to person, time, and place he was deemed competent to stand trial (Mueller, 2016). At Work In addition to the primary diagnostic features of a pervasive disregard for the rights of others, additional features of antisocial personality disorder include irresponsible work behavior and financial irresponsibility. In work situations, individuals’ antisocial behavior may be expressed in repeated absences from work that are not illness related. Furthermore, they may tend to borrow money from coworkers without repaying their debts. Frequently, in individuals with ASPD, their contempt for the rights and feelings of others is paired with an inflated and arrogant appraisal of themselves. They may regard themselves as too smart or too important to perform ordinary work activities. Grounded in their opinions, these individuals’ behaviors may come across as excessively opinionated and self-assured, or even cocky, contributing to a negative work atmosphere.
Previous Page Next Page