РефератыИностранный языкPePersonality Diorder Essay Research Paper Avoidant Personality

Personality Diorder Essay Research Paper Avoidant Personality

Personality Diorder Essay, Research Paper


Avoidant Personality Disorder


From the moment a person is born, his or her personality


begins to take shape. In infancy, childhood, and later


adolescence, the individual explores a multitude of behaviors.


Of all the behaviors, or personalities, the person experiences,


one of them will stick with them until the day they die.


Unfortunately, each specific personality also contain a


personality disorder. Personality disorders can result in


anxiety attacks, depression, and to a certain level, suicide.


One of the most unique personality disorders is the Avoidant


Personality Disorder.


The DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994)


describes Avoidant Personality Disorder as: a persuasive pattern


of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and


hypersensitivity to negative evaluation, beginning by early


childhood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by


four (or more) of the following traits:


1.) avoids occupational activities that involve


significant interpersonal contact because of fears of


criticism, disapproval, or rejection


2.) is unwilling to get involved with people unless


certain of being liked


3.) shows restraint within intimate relationships


because of the fear of being shamed or ridiculed


4.) is preoccupied with being criticized or rejected in


social situations


5.) is inhibited in new interpersonal situations because


of feelings of inadequacy


6.) views self as socially inept, personally unappealing,


or inferior to others


7.) is usually reluctant to take personal risks or to


engage in nay new activities because they may prove


embarrassing


Avoidant Personality Disorder usually starts at early


adulthood. The American Psychiatric Association is convinced


that an equal amount of men and women experience this personality


disorder. According to one other study by Greenberg &


Stravynski, more men are being referred for professional help


than women (Long). The reason for this is because society


usually expects men to be the initiators in relationships with


women.


People that suffer from Avoidant Personality Disorder


display traits such as timidity, shyness, and a withdrawing


behavior. Avoidants, people that suffer from Avoidant


Personality Disorder, use these traits to hurt others so that


they can avoid a close relationship with them. They like to


display their hostility in an ?open? manner by insulting people


who try to be friendly. The reason for this is so that they can


handle feared rejection by becoming rejecting themselves.


Avoidants reject other people first so that they are not the


first to be rejected. Most of the time avoidants reject people


who would have never rejected them in the first place. A victim


of this personality disorder is usually affected in one of three


ways. First, some avoidants put in considerable time and effort


into making themselves attractive to others. They do this so


they will at least be liked for their looks, if not for


themselves. Second, some make sure that their appearance drives


others away. Third, some avoidants may dress in the style of the


era when the trauma occurred (Long). This action obviously


displays that the avoidant is living in his or her past. Speech


is also affected in an avoidants life. In fact, most avoidants


use frequent pauses, and speak very slow, while other avoidants


may try to be ?outgoing?, possibly due to the false belief that


continuous talking will prevent death, an avoidants worst fear


(Kantor).


Avoidants often test others to determine whether or not they


are being truthful in their friendship. Because they may


frequently see rejection where it does not exist, people will


tend to fail these ?tests? and

then later be avoided because they


may reject or humiliate those with Avoidant Personality Disorder.


People with Avoidant Personality Disorder have difficulty


beginning and keeping relationships. In some cases, avoidants


may try to be a perfectionist and reject anyone who does not live


up to their perfect standards. The reason for all of this


rejection that avoidants give, is so that if they are rejected,


they will find it less painful because they did not like the


person anyway. Some people that have Avoidant Personality


Disorder even believe that they must avoid intimacy because


giving love to others reduces the energy they have available for


themselves and that they need for their own life.


Most people with Avoidant Personality Disorder do not show


the affects that the personality disorder has on them because


they think that their emotions will make them suffer from


rejection or humiliation. Avoidants tend to have low self-esteem


and believe that they are unworthy of being in successful


relationships. Along with their low self-esteem, they also are


very self-conscious, frequently lonely, and see their


accomplishments as being too small or worthless. They discharge


their affection, aggression, and other impulses by ignoring


others around them. They also like to watch television and


daydream to escape from reality (Long).


Experts believe that heredity and prenatal maternal factors


are connected with Avoidant Personality Disorder. There is


scientific evidence that proves that a child that lives in a


timid environment in infancy is prone to develop Avoidant


Personality Disorder later in life (Kantor). Another important


factor that contributes to the development of Avoidant


Personality Disorder is parental rejection. Parental Rejection


can destroy a child?s optimism, leaving them with feelings of


social isolation. A common question that a rejected child might


ask would be, for instance, ?If my parents won?t accept me, then


who will?? A second factor that Avoidant Personality Disorder


could be derived from is peer rejection. When a child?s friends


begin to reject and make fun of them, they begin to criticize


themselves. When children cannot turn to their peers or parents


for a relationship, they learn to cope with rejection. Avoidant


Personality Disorder may be the result of these actions.


To handle the causes, complications, and consequences that


Avoidant Personality Disorder consist of, there are few


approaches for the treatment of this unique personality disorder.


Currently, there are two major types of treatments for


personality disorders: psychotherapy and pharmacological


therapy. Depending whether the patient is suicidal or violent


determines how the psychiatrist, or therapist, will decide to


treat the individual. One type practice that is used in


psychotherapy is called avoidance reduction. It is similar to


the other techniques that are found in other psychotherapies.


There are three approaches that are used in avoidance reduction:


supportive therapy, positive feedback, and reassurance. These


three approaches give the patient encouragement. The other major


form of treatment for personality disorders is pharmacological.


There are many types of drugs that doctors prescribe for patients


like these. These drugs are classified as antidepressants.


Imipramine, desipramine hydrochloride, doxepin, chlordiazepoxide,


and diazepam are some common antidepressants.


Avoidant Personality Disorder is a serious personality


disorder that affects many of us Americans today. Hopefully,


people will learn more about the personality disorder so that


they can try to stop Avoidant Personality Disorder from happening


early in his or her or even in their infants lives. I hope that


there will be a medical cure for this disorder later in life.

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