Asocial vs. Antisocial: The Similarities End With The Name

We all interact in different ways. This depends on personality and the situation. Let’s pit asocial vs antisocial against each other to learn more. 

Humans are social creatures. The way we survive is through connections with other people, at least, for most of us. Some individuals aren’t all that fond of other people. We all joke about it, but for some, this is a real issue. Asocial vs antisocial personalities are often confused for one another, but what are the real differences?

Sometimes people are born with personality traits which make them adverse to other people. Sometimes this is all developed over time, learned through hurt or abuse.

Of course, some humans would rather be all by themselves than have the company of others. Asocial vs. antisocial personalities are both people who would rather be solo, but they are not the same. [Read: Social anxiety vs shyness: how to decipher what you feel inside]

Let’s break it down.

Asocial vs antisocial personalities

An antisocial personality basically doesn’t want to be around other people. They prefer their own company.

Of course, being antisocial isn’t something which most people approve of. If someone within a group is being antisocial, they’re basically telling you that they don’t want to be there. For some however, this is a huge part of their overall personality.

Antisocial behavior is typically caused by the repression of their emotions, having a negative perspective on life and bad past experiences.

People who are antisocial avoid social interaction or being around other people on purpose. They can usually be found in their own surroundings, or simply doing things alone. [Read: Am I a narcissist? 10 questions that reveal the narcissist in you]

Is this a bad thing? Well, we could all do with being more comfortable with our own company. Spending some time alone is actually a good thing. However, when it’s a regular thing, that’s when it becomes a problem. You need connections with other people to be happy, fulfilled, and in many ways, to be healthy.

What causes an antisocial personality to develop?

Many things cause antisocial behavior, from autism to schizophrenia, and many other things in-between. All these things can make someone completely socially inept.

The cornerstone of antisocial behavior is how it harms and disrupts those surrounding the individual, i.e. friends and family members. It can also drastically affect a person’s chances of meeting someone and having a deep relationship.

As far as working situations go, they can also be negatively affected by antisocial behavior. [Read: 10 Communication techniques to finally get them to open up to you]

An antisocial person behaves in a manner not only negative, but can be a danger to others in society. Many exhibit violent behaviors to varying degrees. The abuse can be perpetrated toward other humans or animals.

Of course, this isn’t the case for all – some people are simply antisocial and keep themselves to themselves, but it’s important to know the different degrees which can occur.

When looking at asocial vs antisocial personalities, it’s important to get the facts straight. Let’s learn more.

Antisocial personality traits

It’s important to remember that every person is unique. That means their particular type of antisocial behavior may be slightly different to someone else’s. Overall however, the following traits are often seen in antisocial personality types. [Read: What is a social introvert? 12 personalty traits that define them]

1. Not really caring about the rules of right versus wrong

2. Often lying or upsetting other people

3. Having a disrespectful way of treating other people

4. Often using charm as a manipulative tool

5. Being overly opinionated and arrogant

6. Often getting into trouble sometimes with the police

7. An inability to plan anything and often being late [Read: Time management techniques for couples]

8. Using violence in some cases

9. Being quite hostile or irritated by other people

10. Having no empathy for other people

11. Risky behavior with no regard for personal safety or for the safety of other people

12. An inability to learn from past mistakes

13. Quite unreliable in general

In comparison, what is an asocial personality?

In the asocial vs antisocial spectrum, asocial behavior is different. Asocial personalities are people who experience difficulty in social situations due to feeling awkward or lacking the social skills necessary to get on with other people.

It’s not that they don’t want to socialize, it’s that they feel they can’t. They feel like something is stopping them, and it’s usually confidence. [Read: How to be confident: The 20 life hacks you need to implement]

Asocial personalties don’t have a disdain for other people. They don’t intentionally want to hurt anyone. It is just a lack of both the skills and the confidence necessary to interact with others. To compensate, they avoid social situations altogether.

1. Asocial people lack confidence

The asocial personality lacks self-confidence and human interaction skills. This can be because something in their past ‘knocked’ their confidence.

It might also be that they had a poor upbringing, or maybe they simply have low confidence from childhood. As a result, they often keep themselves away from other people, and therefore don’t give themselves the opportunity to practice their social skills.

This is perhaps one of the biggest differences in asocial vs antisocial personalities. Antisocial people tend to be very sure of themselves, but asocial personalities are the opposite. [Read: How to build self-confidence: 16 ways to realize you’re worth it]

2. Asocial people are often nervous and uncertain in social situations

Asocial personalities aren’t harmful to anyone but themselves. Afraid of rejection, they prefer to be on their own rather than to be uncomfortable trying to get along with others. Instead of feeling the potential sting of rejection, they prefer to avoid people and spend most of their time alone. [Read: 30 ways to overcome feelings of loneliness]

3. Asocial people often feel like a burden to other people

This is the most upsetting part of being asocial in many ways. An asocial person sees themselves as a burden to others in the social setting. They feel they simply can’t communicate and as a result, they’d rather be by themselves and not have to deal with the stress.

Often they have very few, if any, friends or close acquaintances in their lives. This is simply because they choose to be alone than to seek out the company of others. Because of this self-imposed isolation, they are viewed negatively by those around them.

You could say they’re just misunderstood and that’s a major difference in the asocial vs antisocial comparison. [Read: How to get rid of false guilt & drop the burden others put on you]

4. An asocial person often chooses constructive ways to avoid interaction

For an asocial person, being around others is so anxiety provoking that they tend to be nervous and restless when in the company of others. As a result, they come up with creative and constructive ways to avoid having to be in a group setting.

This behavior only further ostracizes them and makes them an outsider. All of this adds to the feeling of not being one of the group. [Read: 14 signs you’re a homebody who needs to get out more]

Asocial vs antisocial personality treatment options

In general, antisocial behavior is a more difficult personality disorder to treat because it involves violence against others. Treatment for antisocial behavior is often necessary to stop them from hurting other people. However, as with any type of treatment for a personality issue, the person has to recognize there is a problem first of all and then seek help to fix it.

The following are often treatment methods for antisocial personality types.

1. A combination of psychotherapy and medication

2. Behavior modification therapy – This type of therapy focuses on building self-control and avoiding impulsive actions

3. Stress management techniques [Read: 14 Really quick stress busters to recharge your mind]

Medications are given to address underlying conditions, such as schizophrenia or depression. The hope is that the medication helps to reduce antisocial behavior that may lead to hurting others or causing trouble.

Asocial behavior treatment

Asocial people, because they are normally not a danger to anyone around them, usually do not get the help that they need. It’s often down to changing their own behavior. Obviously, this can be a problem as it’s easier said than done.

The best way to help someone with asocial personality tendencies is to boost their self-confidence in social situations and gatherings. Therapy could also be an option although less likely. [Read: How to build self-confidence: 16 ways to realize you’re worth it]

In addition, asocial personalities benefit from role-playing. They say that practice makes perfect and in this case, that is true. The back and forth pattern of conversation is something that can be practiced. The more they do it, the easier it will become and the more confident they will feel.

The more they understand how to interact with people, the less they avoid being around others, and the less stress they experience when thrust into social gatherings. Taking away the anxiety is often the key to opening up the asocial individual. This allows them to let others into their world instead of hiding from a fear of rejection.

[Read: How to read people: The 12 secrets to figure anyone out instantly]

Asocial vs. antisocial personalities are very different. Antisocial individuals have a disdain for others and often engage in violence, while the asocial personality needs guidance to navigate social situations.

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