This chapter reviews the evidence for genetic and environmental influences, both specified and unspecified in antisocial behavior. It discusses heritability of both adult and child mental disorders in DSM-IV-TR, for which antisocial behavior is central to their diagnosis. The chapter also reviews heritability of the related externalizing disorders. It highlights some of the most exciting new directions in this field, which aim to unpack the genetic and environmental black boxes in antisocial behavior, and provides the complexities of the gene-environment interplay in antisocial development. Evidence of genetic influences on antisocial behavior does not implicate that individuals exhibiting antisocial behavior are immune or resistant to interventions. Future research with combined approaches from behavior genetics and neuroscience will lead to better understanding of specific genes that result in structural and functional brain impairments that in turn give rise to antisocial, violent, and psychopathic behavior.

This chapter provides an overview of psychological accounts of specific phobia and describes a standard protocol for in vivo exposure, the current treatment of choice for specific phobia. Specific phobia is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in the general population, with documented lifetime prevalence estimates ranging between 9.4% and 12.5%. Specific phobias frequently co-occur with other DSM-IV disorders as an additional diagnosis, particularly when the predominant diagnosis is an anxiety disorder or a mood disorder. Behavioral treatments for specific phobias are rooted in Mowrer's classic two-stage theory of fear development. The chapter examines the role of cognitive factors in specific phobia. Recent research suggests that visual and somatic mental imagery may also play a role in the maintenance of specific phobia. There are a number of challenges that clinicians and clients may encounter during exposure treatment for specific phobia.