Avoidant

Avoidant Personality Disorder

(Mentor)

Avoidant Personality Disorder is a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:

avoids occupational activities that involve significant interpersonal contact because of fears of criticism, disapproval, or rejection;

is unwilling to get involved with people unless certain of being liked;

shows restraint within intimate relationships because of the fear of being shamed or ridiculed;

is preoccupied with being criticized or rejected in social situations;

is inhibited in new interpersonal situations because of feelings of inadequacy;

views self as socially inept, personally unappealing, or inferior to others;

is unusually reluctant to take personal risks or to engage in any new activities because they may prove embarrassing.

Source: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition