Avoidant Personality Disorder - Coursework Example

Avoidant Personality Disorder Avoidant Personality disorder refers to the condition of the mental health which- where a person feels very timid, inadequate and responsive to rejection. Persons who suffer this complication are known to go through feelings of insufficiency. Such feelings of insufficiency make the victims of the disorder so much concerned about what people think about them. The victims find themselves inhibited socially and feel generally inept psychologically. This inhibition and feeling of inadequacy makes the victims to be avoidant of places, activities or even work which involve social interaction with other people (Castillo 500). It has been noted that people who suffer Avoidant Personality Disorder usually monitor the movements and expressions of the people they meet so carefully. This is because they have a deep fear and a feeling of worthlessness hence they develop a tense demeanor which in turn brings out their personal worries. Such people tend to be so and their reaction to criticism is usually blushing or even crying. They are usually referred to by others as timid, lonely or shy, since they mostly prefer seclusion. This problem is associated with the major problem of the victim having a very low self-esteem and a very high sensitivity to rejection. This affects the victim’s occupational functioning as it restricts their interpersonal relations. Their avoidant traits make them to avoid many practical social situations which may be important in making them hit their workplace demands and targets. This also affects their occupational advancement. In most cases they prefer isolation as they feel they lack a large social support network to enable them overcome their problems. Like all other normal people, individuals who suffer from Avoidant Personality disorder have an inward longing for affection and acceptance. They sometimes visualize about imaginary relationships with other people who they like symptoms (Dobbert 306). A disorder of human personality generally reflects a hidden pattern of inward experience and trait which diverges from a person’s cultural norms and practices. Such a hidden pattern is usually reflected in the aspects of impulse control, cognition, or interpersonal relations. The pattern is usually flexible and persistent over a wide range of individual and social issues. It often brings about great distress and harm in an individual’s working pattern and social situations (Kantor 257). It can always prevail for a very long period of time. In fact, it is always starts during adolescence or early maturity. Major Symptoms of Avoidant Personality Disorder In most cases of Avoidant Personality Disorder the victims show signs of an extensive pattern of feelings of insufficiency, an extreme responsiveness to the thoughts of other people about them as well as shyness in social situations. The disorder largely manifests itself at the start of an individual’s adolescence stage with symptoms like; symptoms (Dobbert 401). 1. Mostly worried about being criticized or rejected by other people in situations of socialization (Castillo 119). 2. Most victims of Avoidant Personality Disorder are shy off from incurring personal risks or from taking part in new activities or programs for the fear of getting embarrassed. 3. Avoidance of most occupational activities that relate to meeting people personally. This is largely due to the victim’s fear of denial, condemnation or disapproval and hence embarrassment (Castillo 120). Most victims observe themselves as socially incompetent, lesser than others or unpleasant personally. This is so common when they are compelled to take part in competitive activities with others. They generally tend to think that they don’t have what it takes to compete successfully against others. Sometimes they shy off even if they know they have what it takes to excel or win, because the fear in them inhibits them hence making them feel that people only see them as weak and unable symptoms (Dobbert 234). It is reported that many victims of Avoidant Personality Disorder show signs of restraint inside intimate relationships since they fear being embarrassed or disapproved. Being a victim of the Avoidant Personality Disorder does not mean a person will be unable to socialize with others in any social situation. There are some victims of this disorder who despite the torturous social behavior caused by the complication make it to form intimate relationships with others. Among these few ‘strong’ fellows the disorder still manifests and they often have to cope with this feeling of inferiority and fear (Castillo 362). 6. Unwillingness to participate in activities with other people except for situations where they are sure they will be liked appreciated or accepted. Interestingly, such behavior patterns are never discovered during a person’s childhood or early development, instead they are usually diagnosed during adulthood. The main reason for this is the fact that during childhood early teenage period, children are still developing consistently and are usually experiencing personality change. Incase this disorder is diagnosed in a youngster or a teenager; it must have featured for a period longer than one year (Castillo 197). A research conducted by the NESARC in 2002 suggests that Avoidant Personality Disorder tends to be present in 2.4 % among the overall population. This research also noted that the intensity of Avoidant Personality Disorder, just like most of the other human personality disorders is largely lowered significantly by advancement in a person’s age. Many victims go through most of the extreme symptoms when they are between 40 to 50 years old (Kantor 456). Diagnosis of Avoidant Personality Disorder Experts of mental health recommend that Avoidant Personality Disorder should be diagnosed by trained and competent mental health professionals like psychologists and psychiatrists. There are several instances of households employing family physicians and other practitioners to help them in diagnosis of such personality disorders. These practitioners are usually not well trained and lack the relevant equipment for diagnosis of Avoidant Personality Disorder. Experts advise households should not only rely on family physicians for the diagnosis of the disorder, but rather contact a mental health expert for proper diagnosis and treatment. Basically, there are usually no lab tests, no blood tests and no genetic tests which are carried out in the diagnosis of Avoidant Personality Disorder (Flowers 443). Experts note that people who suffer from Avoidant Personality Disorder do not look for treatment till the disorder starts to interfere with their lives. They say this step is usually taken by victims at the point when they have used their resources extensively, to handle their distress and their daily programs. Mental health professionals diagnose Avoidant Personality Disorder through making a comparison of history a person’s life with the behavior patterns stated above. This helps them to decide whether the symptoms of a person match the ones of the disorder or not symptoms (Dobbert 111). Causes of Avoidant Personality Disorder Many researchers have in the past carried out extensive research to discover the specific causes of Causes of Avoidant Personality Disorder but still, there are no known causes. Many assertions as well as theories have therefore been put forth to try to explain the cause of this long standing personality disorder among humans. There are quite a number of suggestions by many researchers who support biopsychological form of causation. This is the set of factors which are social, psychological or genetic. Social factors here mean the manner in which an individual interacts with others during their early development stages. The people one interacts with here include a person’s family members, relatives or even friends. Psychological factors in this case refer to a person’s temperament and personality which are all influenced by the environment upon which the person dwells. The environment where one stays may also determine the learning and the ability of a person to deal with stress. It is therefore clear that there are no specific causes of Avoidant Personality Disorder. It is however notable that the disorder is closely linked to the three major factors discussed in this section. Some researchers have concluded that persons who suffer this personality disorder experience a higher risk of having the disorder carried on to their immediate and wider off springs (Flowers 534). Treatment of Avoidant Personality Disorder There are various forms of treatment procedures which have been formulated by various mental health experts and psychiatrists. These treatment methods vary from expert to expert and they basically involve a psychotherapy procedure which is mostly long-term. Treatment should be administered by psychotherapists who have enough experience in treating Avoidant Personality Disorder. There are some cases where conventional medication is given to victims so as to assist in minimizing the occurrence of the extreme and torturous symptoms (Dobbert 401). It has been noted that people who suffer Avoidant Personality Disorder usually monitor the movements and expressions of the people they meet so carefully even when these people are not monitoring them. This is because they have a deep fear and a feeling of worthlessness hence they develop a tense demeanor which in turn brings out their personal worries. Such people tend to be so and their reaction to criticism is usually blushing or even crying. They are usually referred to by others as timid, lonely or shy, since they mostly prefer seclusion (Bor & Carina 311). Avoidant Personality disorder refers to the condition of the mental health which- where a person feels very timid, inadequate and responsive to rejection. Persons who suffer this complication are known to go through feelings of insufficiency. These feelings of insufficiency make the victims of the disorder so much concerned about what people think about them. The victims find themselves inhibited socially and feel generally inept psychologically. This inhibition and feeling of inadequacy makes the victims to be avoidant of places, activities or even work which involve social interaction with other people (Shannon 433). Avoidant Personality disorder complication is associated with the major problem of the victim having a very low self-esteem and a very high sensitivity to rejection. This affects the victim’s occupational functioning as it restricts their interpersonal relations. Their avoidant traits make them to avoid many practical social situations which may be useful in making them hit their workplace demands and targets. This also affects their occupational advancement. In most cases they prefer isolation as they feel they lack a large social support network to enable them overcome their problems. Like all other normal people, individuals who suffer from Avoidant Personality disorder have an inward longing for affection and acceptance. They sometimes visualize about imaginary relationships with other people who they like. A disorder of human personality generally reflects a hidden pattern of inward experience and trait which diverges from a person’s cultural norms and practices. Such a hidden pattern is usually reflected in the aspects of impulse control, cognition, or interpersonal relations. The pattern is usually flexible and persistent over a wide range of individual and social issues. It often brings about great distress and harm in an individual’s working pattern and social situations. It can always prevail for a very long period of time. In fact, it is always starts during adolescence or early maturity (Flowers 67). The main reason why the disorder is only detectable in adulthood is the fact that during childhood early teenage period, children is still developing consistently and are usually experiencing personality change. Incase this disorder is diagnosed in a youngster or a teenager; it must have featured for a period longer than one year (Shannon 122). In cases of most personality disorders, the choice of treatment an individual takes is of psychotherapy. While individual therapy is usually the common method used, group therapy may also be useful where the client admits to go for enough sessions (Bor & Carina 209). Due to of the nature of this disorder, it is usually hard to have the victim go for group treatment in the restorative process. It is a method usually considered as the victim approaches termination of personal healing. Works Cited Bottom of Form Bor, Robert, and Carina Eriksen. Coping Successfully with Shyness. London: Sheldon, 2012. Print. Castillo, Heather. Personality Disorder Temperament or Trauma? : An Account of an Emancipatory Research Study Carried out by Service Users Diagnosed with Personality Disorder. London: J. Kingsley Pub., 2003. Print. Dobbert, Duane L. Understanding Personality Disorders an Introduction. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2007. PrintTop of Form Flowers, Steven H. The Mindful Path through Shyness: How Mindfulness & Compassion Can Help Free You from Social Anxiety, Fear & Avoidance. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2009. Print. Kantor, Martin. The Essential Guide to Overcoming Avoidant Personality Disorder. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Praeger, 2010. Print. Shannon, Jennifer. The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook for Teens: CBT and ACT Skills to Help You Build Social Confidence. Oakland, CA: Instant Help, 2012. Print. Read More