Positive Psychotheraphy and Antisocial Personality Disorder: Crime, Aggression, Anger

Antisocial personality disorder usually begins before the age of 15 and is characterized by neglect and violation of the rights of others, impulsivity, aggression, apathy, irresponsibility, and criminal behavior. Lack of empathy, anger, anger and hostility, and confrontation with legal problems can be seen in those with antisocial personality disorder.

Epidemiological studies of antisocial personality disorder are scarce and focus predominantly on all adults, especially young adults. The frequency of ASPD among adults in the general population is estimated at 3.0% - 4.3%. Antisocial personality disorder is 3.5 times more common in men than in women. Genetic and environmental factors play a role in the etiology of this disorder. In addition, mental disorders such as major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and substance use disorders are frequently encountered in these individuals.

Individuals with antisocial personality disorder often exhibit aggressive behavior. Aggressive behaviors have been associated with risk factors such as low household income, insufficient parental control, single-parent families, upbringing by antisocial parents, neglect, and presence of criminal peer relationships. Modeling of aggressive behaviors can be explained as part of the individual's problems related to the environment in which he grows and his attachments, and by taking the aggressive behaviors witnessed as an example.

The positive concept is derived from the expression "positum" and means existing, real, actual, given, real and concrete. This concept reflects the focus of the positive psychotherapy approach because the method motivates the client's capacities to find out what the symptom is doing to resolve the conflict and find a useful solution.

Positive psychotherapy is an eclectic approach stemming from psychodynamic approach, existential-humanistic approach, behavioral approach and intercultural therapy approach. In addition, positive psychotherapy is a humanistic, psychodynamic, resource-focused, conflict-solving, complementary and intercultural approach that incorporates features of other therapy-related theories as well as original intervention procedures. While this theory, like other therapy theories, aims to treat disorders and diseases, it places special emphasis on one's abilities and development possibilities. According to the positive psychotherapy approach, although each person has such abilities, the intensity is different. In this sense, although it is important in a positive psychotherapy approach to accept problems and disorders as they are, it is also important to focus on things outside of them, take into account any person's current abilities, and help clients realize their abilities and capacities. Almost all consulting approaches can focus on this point. However, unlike other approaches, the positive psychotherapy approach places a central emphasis on this issue and puts it into practice within a meta-theory for the treatment plan.

The principles of balance, consultation and hope are the three basic principles of positive psychotherapy. If the client continues to live a balanced life in key areas such as body, success, contact and future / fantasy / spirituality, they gain a balance model. The principle of consultation means that the client cooperates with the individuals around him to solve his problems. The hope principle is that the client believes that they can solve their problems and overcome them.

Positive psychotherapy approach argues that people come to the world with two important abilities: the ability to love and the ability to know. The ability to know manifests itself in secondary abilities. Patience, time, love, trust, faith, hope, contact and tenderness / sexuality are evaluated within the primary abilities. Secondary abilities include order, cleanliness, punctuality, politeness, honesty, archievement, reliability, thrift, obedience, justice and faitfulness. This type of therapy conception links the emergence of mental disorders to the underdevelopment or overdevelopment of these abilities. The positive psychotherapy approach focuses on the optimal use of these abilities.

Structured cognitive behavioral techniques, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, dialectical behavior therapy, schema-focused therapy, and mindfulness-based therapy are used to treat antisocial personality disorder. In addition to these intervention methods, positive psychotherapy discusses the hypothetical statements regarding antisocial personality disorder.

Positive psychotherapy explains that personality development takes place through abilities. It is an important assumption that many skills suggested by this approach predict aggression and anger levels in cases with antisocial personality disorder. Studies on aggression, anger, and delinquent behaviors in studies conducted with individuals with Antisocial Personality Disorder are available in the literature. However, there are no studies addressing these behaviors within the scope of positive psychotherapy.

According to the researchers' knowledge, this study is the first study to examine the primary and secondary abilities of individuals with criminal and non-criminal antisocial personality disorder within the scope of positive psychotherapy and the effect of these abilities on criminal behavior and aggression and anger levels.

It is thought that determining the abilities of individuals with criminal and non-criminal antisocial personality disorder within the scope of positive psychotherapy and explaining the behavioral pathologies in these individuals will contribute to the literature. In this context, the purpose of this study is to compare the primary and secondary abilities of individuals with antisocial personality disorder within the scope of positive psychotherapy with healthy individuals and to examine whether these abilities are associated with criminal behavior, anger and aggression tendencies in individuals with antisocial personality disorder. In addition, it is to bring a new perspective to the studies of those with antisocial personality disorder and to provide a perspective for future studies. The findings of this study can be used by therapists working with individuals with criminal and non-criminal antisocial personality disorder in the process of positive psychotherapy and may eliminate the gap in this area.

Before starting the study, approval was obtained from the local ethics committee. Including individuals who were older than 18 years of age, who were able to read and understand structured interview forms and scale forms, and who were at the education level (at least primary school graduate), who agreed to participate in the study, and who were diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder according to SCID-1 and DSM IV diagnostic criteria. has been. Those under the age of 18, those who did not agree to participate in the study, those with a comorbid psychiatric disorder according to SCID-1 and DSM IV diagnostic criteria, and those with an additional medical disease were excluded from the study. The researchers interviewed the participants face to face and provided information about the study. Participants were given a structured interview form prepared by the researchers, the Wiesbaden Positive Psychotherapy and Family Therapy Inventory that evaluates primary and secondary abilities, the Buss-Perry Impulsivity Scale to determine the levels of aggression, and the Trait Anger and Anger Expression Scale to determine the levels of anger. The data of the study were obtained in this way.

Statistical analysis of the study data was made using the SPSS 15.0 package program. Number, percentage, average and standard deviation values will be used in defining the data. Student T test will be used for continuous variables in comparisons between groups, and Chi-Square test will be used for comparing discrete variables. Pearson correlation analysis will be used to examine the relationships between variables. A level of p<0.05 will be considered statistically significant.