ASOCIAL: What is it, Definition and Traits

  • Jul 26, 2021
click fraud protection
Asocial: what is it, definition and traits

Before you start reading I want to ask you a couple of questions:

  • How many hours today have you been with people? And how many of them alone?
  • Have you felt comfortable all the time that you have been with people? Or would you have preferred to spend more time alone?

We live in a society in which we spend most of our day interacting both consciously and unconsciously with other people. However, not all people are comfortable in these situations.

As is well known in the field of psychology, personality tends to influence the way each individual has to relate to those around them. This Psychology-Online article aims to explain in the simplest and most enlightening way possible what is theasocial personality, its definition and characteristic features.

You may also like: Emotional manipulator: what is it, traits and how to recognize it

Index

  1. What is an asocial person: definition
  2. Traits and characteristics of an asocial person
  3. How to know if I am asocial
  4. Difference between asocial and antisocial
  5. Why is a person asocial

What is an asocial person: definition.

As we find in the dictionary of the RAE, "An asocial person is one who does not integrate into society or does not follow social norms and conventions".

However, it is a slightly more complex concept than the previously cited definition, since the asocial concept refers to a set of fully conscious attitudes and behaviors, where the person voluntarily chooses to withdraw from society and therefore from the individuals who make up.

Traits and characteristics of an asocial person.

The asocial people are characteristically introverts with the particularity that they enjoy this loneliness. However, this introversion is not related to a lack of social skills, that is, they can interact perfectly with the rest of the people around them, they just don't want to.

As demonstrated by Bowker[1] in their study, those asocial people tend to be extremely creative. This surprising statement is given by the fact that people with an asocial personality do not completely exclude themselves from the society, but have a series of basic interactions, either with family, with a small group of friends, with a partner, etc. that allows them to enjoy moments of solitude, which encourages the creative development of new ideas.

These people, despite the fact that in some cases they may share values, norms and models with society, they tend to not settle for it, trying to innovate and change some elements that make it up. They have a lack of self-interest towards social integration, preferring for that reason not to commit to the people who integrate it.

Contrary to popular belief that asocial people have a mental disorder, the actual definition of the term states that these people are characterized by a strong lack of motivation when it comes to relating and interacting with the rest of the society. These people tend to choose solo activities for which it is not required to integrate with other people.

How to know if I am asocial.

There is no exact way to determine if a person is completely asocial or not, however There are a series of situations which asocial people will tend to avoid, for example:

  • Asocial people often feel relief when plans are canceled with friends or acquaintances.
  • They would rather take the stairs than share the elevator with someone.
  • They tend to arrive either the first, to avoid greeting those already present, or the last, to sneak through the crowd and do not say hello.
  • It bothers them when employees approach them in stores (although I think that happens to all of us).
  • They are persons introverted and shy.
  • They come to change the sidewalk in order not to greet someone.
  • They can wear the headphones even without hearing anything to avoid being spoken to.
  • They feel a strong rejection of crowds and crowds.

But on top of all this, asocial people tend to be aware that they are and they do not feel reluctance to be, because it is a lifestyle in which they feel one hundred percent comfortable.

Difference between asocial and antisocial.

It is worth explaining the difference between an asocial person and an antisocialIt is very common for both terms to be used as comparable or synonyms. This being totally wrong. While the term "antisocial" can be defined etymologically as something that damages society, the concept "asocial" is linked to the denial of society.

Regarding a antisocial person, this one is pathologically diagnosed with the antisocial personality disorder. As defined in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)[2], people with this pathology will tend to carry out a series of behaviors which will be indicators of contempt for the rights of other people. That is, they will be dedicated to breaking social norms regardless of the effect that this may have on other individuals.

On the other hand, as has been said before, those asocial people are considered simply introverts, for What should be highlighted is the peculiarity that asocial people do respect society and the people who integrate. However, they do not feel comfortable within the basic and habitual interactions that usually occur in the day-to-day life of an individual.

Why a person is asocial.

What makes a person prefer not to relate if we are social beings? Why is a person asocial? It is considered that the environment that surrounds an individual can predispose to a type of asocial behavior when integrating into society. They are collected in the study of Añaños[3] a series of risk factor's that could lead to the development of said personality, as are abandonment on the part of the parents, live in violent social settings and the lack of relationships with family and equals in childhood.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Asocial: what is it, definition and traits, we recommend that you enter our category of Personality.

References

  1. Bowker, J. C., Stotsky, M. T., & Etkin, R. G. (2017). How BIS / BAS and psycho-behavioral variables distinguish between social withdrawal subtypes during emerging adulthood. Personality and Individual Differences, 119, 283-288.
  2. American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2002). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR.Barcelona: Masson.
  3. Añaños Bedriñana, F. T. (2002). Some environments that generate asocial risk situations.
instagram viewer