Asocial vs. Antisocial: What's the Difference?

Asocial and antisocial are sometimes used interchangeably, but they aren’t synonymous. While they can certainly overlap in some ways, there are lots of differences between being asocial and being antisocial. 

Asociality relates to preferring a lack of social interaction and more solitary activities, whereas antisociality relates to antisocial personality disorder, characterized by a lack of empathy and difficulties in maintaining long-term relationships, as well as exploitative, deviant, and criminal behavior.

But what are the other differences? To find out about asocial and antisocial traits, and how to get help, just keep reading. 

Signs Someone Is Asocial

Some of the main asocial traits are as follows:

• Preferring solitary activities and lack of motivation to socialize
• Withdrawing from society
• Trouble or difficulty holding conversations
• Missing social cues
• Anxiety or nervousness in social environments
• Fearing judgment 

Signs Someone Is Antisocial

In contrast, here are some of the main antisocial traits:

• Engaging in criminal behavior and disregarding the law
• High-risk, impulsive, and irresponsible behavior
• Violent behavior
• Deceiving others
• Cruelty to animals
• Theft
• Lack of remorse or consideration for other people’s feelings
• Relationships are often a means to achieve their own goals
  

“When we use the term “antisocial” correctly, we’re usually referring to someone who suffers from antisocial personality disorder,” says Elena Touroni, PhD, a consultant psychologist, and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic. 

“Antisocial behavior often manifests as a pattern of repeated actions that disregard the rights and welfare of others,” adds Smriti Joshi, lead psychologist at Wysa. 

Differences Between Asocial and Antisocial

The biggest difference between asocial and antisocial people, in Joshi’s view, is that asocial behaviors could stem from social anxiety, with a lack of social interaction becoming a comfort zone of sorts; asocial people may just need more support.

Regarding asocial people, she explains: “They are not disregarding other people's needs and rights, comply with social norms and codes of conduct, and may not be using relationships as a means to their own selfish goals.” 

She continues, “Asocial individuals prefer solitude because they feel more comfortable and at ease in their own company.”

Antisocial Behavior Can Often Be Rooted in Selfishness

In comparison, an antisocial person’s preference for solitude might be “driven by a disregard for others' feelings and rights and ‘using’ their limited selective social interactions as means to achieving their own selfish goals.”

Moreover, antisocial is often used to describe somebody with antisocial personality disorder—it’s a clinical diagnosis.  

Similarities Between Asocial and Antisocial Behavior

Despite there being clear differences between asocial and antisocial behaviors, there are some similarities too. 

"The overlap between asocial and antisocial individuals lies in the common inclination towards limited social interaction or detachment,” explains Joshi. The difference is in their motivations and their impact on others. As mentioned earlier, asocial people prefer to be alone because they feel more comfortable, whereas antisocial people might prefer to be alone because they disregard the feelings of others, or because it will help them achieve their own goals. 

Examples of Asocial and Antisocial Behavior

Here are some real-life examples of asocial and antisocial behavior:

• Being invited to an outing: If an asocial person is invited to socialize with their colleagues outside of work, they may be hesitant to accept the invitation because of a lack of desire to make friends with workmates or see them away from the workplace. An antisocial person may be opposed to the idea of socializing outside of work, not caring if they offend or upset anybody at work by turning down the invitation. 
• Being in a relationship: If an asocial person’s partner invites them to a party, they might turn down the invitation because they don’t enjoy socializing in large groups, and prefer one-on-one time at home with their partner—this could be rooted in social anxiety. Someone who’s antisocial might make their partner feel guilty for going to the party, or they will go to the party but be hostile to others there. 

Treatment for Asocial Behavior

There’s help and support out there for asocial behavior. It can often be triggered by anxiety, low self-esteem, or lack of confidence, or can, in turn, trigger social anxiety because the person is used to a lack of social interactions. 

Joshi suggests three ways to get help: getting a professional assessment, finding professional mental health support, and joining a support group or getting social skills training. 

“In some cases, asocial behavior might be indicative of an underlying mental health condition, such as social anxiety disorder or depression and resulting asocial behavior could be causing significant distress or impairing daily functioning, it may be helpful to consult a mental health professional for a comprehensive assessment and appropriate treatment recommendations,” she says. 

She recommends therapy for getting to the bottom of underlying issues, exploring potential reasons for asocial behavior, and coming up with strategies for developing social skills and communication. 

As for support groups, Joshi explains that they can help “offer opportunities to practice social skills, receive feedback, and connect with others who may have similar experiences or goals.”

Treatment for Antisocial Behavior

But what about antisocial behavior? “Those with antisocial personality disorder would benefit from psychological therapy,” says Dr. Touroni, “But typically, they won’t seek help because they don’t believe anything is wrong with their behavior. They tend to receive help only in a forensic setting when they have committed a crime.”

However, where people show signs of antisocial behavior—particularly in adolescence, parental affection, communication, and behavior control can have a positive effect, perhaps reducing the risk of these antisocial behaviors remaining into adulthood.

Coping and Management

Social situations aren’t always easy, whether you have asocial or antisocial traits or not. However, there are things that you can do to help you manage them. 

You might decide to make changes to your lifestyle to help you manage social situations better in the long term.

Find a balance between socializing and spending time alone by setting boundaries, and gradually exposing yourself to social situations if you have anxiety around them. This ties into self-care, too. This could involve anything like:

• Mindfulness
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Going to the gym
• Going for a run
• Eating healthy
• Getting enough sleep

Journaling and using mental health tools like Wysa can help too, making you more self-aware in terms of the factors causing the behavior—it can help you decide whether you need to seek external support. Joshi says: “Surround oneself with supportive and positive influences. Seek out individuals who can provide guidance, encouragement, and accountability throughout the process of change.”