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"Antisocial" is a strange word because it can also carry the connotation of "violent". Hence "Antisocial behavior". This article's use of the word is more like
by nsxwolf 9y ago
"Antisocial" is a strange word because it can also carry the connotation of "violent". Hence "Antisocial behavior". This article's use of the word is more like "introversion".
- imustbeevil 9y agoI think "antisocial" is commonly misinterpreted as "asocial". As you've pointed out antisocial does not mean "not social", it means "against society".
- amelius 9y agoI think it is the other way around: asocial being commonly misinterpreted as antisocial.
- imustbeevil 9y agoThe "a" prefix means "not". The "anti" prefix means "against". Take apathy and antipathy. Asexual vs antisexual. Areligious vs antireligious. The definitions of these prefixes are exact and consistent.
- amelius 9y agoYes, so when somebody says "stop making noise, you're asocial" then they mean "antisocial".
- imustbeevil 9y agoIf anyone ever said that then yes. https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=antisocial,asocial https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=antisocial,asocia...
- amelius 9y agoThat's number of queries. The interesting thing is that the numbers of search results seem to be reversed.
- baddox 9y agoStill works for the common usage of “antisocial” if you think of it as “against personally engaging in social activity” instead of “against society.”
- xyrnoble 9y agoIt usually means asocial. This same problem shows up with atheist and antitheist. Also, even used correctly antisocial doesn't necessarily imply violent. It can but ultimately "antisocial behavior" and "violent behavior" are distinct categories.
- nsxwolf 9y ago"Antisocial behavior" was the term my high school disciplinary handbook used for "fighting".
- mcguire 9y agoViolent behavior is frequently antisocial, but not all antisocial behavior is violent.
- closeparen 9y agoFighting is an extremely social behavior, particularly in the context of adolescent males. It represents a high degree of concern for honor, status, reputation, justice, the in-group, etc - high enough to risk physical harm. Someone (like me) who has never been in a fight is far less social, less engaged, more apathetic about peers and their emotional lives, than someone who will throw down when they feel it’s appropriate. In this case, that lack of concern for social status is positive, but stil. Fighting is not isolation taken to an extreme, it’s the opposite.
- noxToken 9y ago>Fighting is an extremely social behavior You're taking antisocial as a colloquial term. When discussing antisocial behaviors in terms of psychology, fighting is will almost always be antisocial.
- leggomylibro 9y agoBut also probably for pulling fire alarms repeatedly, petty vandalism, cussing people out, etc. Not your actual violence, but still acting contrary to how we expect people to generally act in society. Which is also different from simply not interacting with people very much.
- StanislavPetrov 9y agoBeing "against" something does not imply violent opposition. Virtually everyone is "against" something or other, but they don't go around on campaigns of violence to oppose what they are "against". Personally I am antisocial, not asocial. I am "against" our society because of its makeup and construction, not merely indifferent (in which case 'asocial' would be the appropriate term). My opposition to society, however, is in no way violent. Indeed, embracing violence would nullify and make hypocritical my largest objection to our society (which is largely based on violence).
- musage 9y agoBut are you then against "society in principle", or more against the lack of genuine "socialness", the fake and/or violent structures in specific ones?
- StanislavPetrov 9y agoNo, I'm against the society we have, not the idea of society. Not violently opposed, but opposed on a moral and logical basis.
- 32days8kd 9y agoI do research in this area, and it frustrates me (although you have no control over colloquial use) "Antisocial" roughly means "sociopathic" or "not abiding by societal rules and norms," generally with the implication that this not abiding is at others' expense. .. as in the DSM and legal use of the term "antisocial personality disorder." The author means "asocial" or "introverted", as you point out. The author's choice of term is actually very poor writing in this case because it's a scientific paper, and scientific use should be followed, especially when you're discussing behavior. It's particularly confusing in this case because "antisocial" in its formal sense could actually be meaningful in this context, as in freeloading bees, or those that otherwise take advantage of other bees to their detriment in a game theory sense. There are many evolutionary theories of antisociality that are based on this general sense. So the article's word use is very poor.
- lwansbrough 9y agoI agree, I was hoping to read about some really strange beehaviour.
- hanoz 9y agoNon sociable has always been a valid, and in my experience the primary, meaning of the word antisocial. The sociopathic definition has come to prominence relatively recently, hand in hand with its adoption as a favoured euphemism in the authorities' rebranding of low level crime.