An infant’s temperament and biological roots play a role in development of antisocial behavior.

- Mother’s perceptions of the infant’s temperament.
- Having pathological caregivers (e.g. maternal depression)
- Extreme home environments (e.g. divorced families, single-mother household)
- Biological variables (heredity)

Factors in the development of antisocial behavior

Behavior that violates social norms, disregards others that can lead to harm. This includes rule-breaking, lying, aggression and theft in children.

Arizona State University

Early 20th century, Childhood was largely overlooked and treated as a downward extension of adult psychopathology which downplayed the nature of childhood. 1950’s-70’s Clinical Child Psychologists uncovered the limitations of relevance of adult-centered approaches to therapy. In the 1980’s DSM-III included developmental considerations in the diagnostic criteria for childhood disorders. From 1994-2013 DSM-IV contains infants, children, and adolescents, and DSM-5 includes clinical child psychology. By the 2000’s to present developmental psychopathology evolved to study childhood disorders . Currently developmental psychopathologists study the development of children and protective factors of prevention for at risk populations.


Clinical Child Psychology 

Mazza, M., Lisci, F. M., Marzo, E. M., De Masi, V., Abate, F., & Marano, G. (2025). Why Do They Do It? The Psychology Behind Antisocial Behavior in Children and Adolescents. Pediatric reports, 17(2), 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/pediatric17020026

Reference for Antisocial Behavior in Children & Adolescents

Fear tendencies for children and adolescents 

- Children ages 2-4, imaginary creatures and the dark
- Children ages 5-7, natural disasters, injury, animals
- Children ages 8-11, poor academic and athletic performance
- Adolescents 12-18, peer rejection



Developmental Considerations for Clinical Child Psychology


Patterson (1982, as cited in Kramer, 2013) argued that parental behavior alters the probability of child responses. Differences in family interactions of nonaggressive and aggressive children were found that aggressive children were twice as likely as nonaggressive children to persist in behavior following parental punishment.  Parent-child interaction is reciprocal and “teach” each other behaviors that lead to child aggression.  


Parent-Child Interaction Patterns

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. DSM-5 Changes: Implications for Child Serious Emotional Disturbance [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2016 Jun. Table 17, DSM-IV to DSM-5 Conduct Disorder Comparison. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519712/table/ch3.t13/


[DSM-V] Conduct Disorder

Antisocial Behavior in Children & Adolescents

Kramer, G. P., Bernstein, D. A., & Phares, V. (2013). Introduction to clinical psychology (8th ed.). Pearson. 


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