Ep 45: Schizoid Personality's Close Cousin: Avoidant in the DSM

In this episode of the Personality Couch Podcast, we (licensed clinical psychologists Doc Bok and Doc Fish) unpack the DSM’s Avoidant Personality Disorder (AvPd), exploring its hotly debated history, the DSM criteria, and its overlap with social anxiety. We discuss the developmental aspects of AvPd, the challenges of low self-esteem with this disorder, and how it can cause problems in employment. We end with our own unfiltered thoughts on whether or not we think it should be a diagnosis, questioning the zeitgeist in which it was coined, the lack of historical research, and its overlap with multiple other personality disorders.

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Chapters

• 00:00 Intro, History, & Controversy
• 03:42 Avoidant Personality Disorder: DSM
  • 05:41 Social Inhibition and Fear of Criticism
  • 08:14 Intimacy Issues and Fantasy
  • 10:41 Self-Perception and Feelings of Inadequacy
  • 14:49 Taking Risks and Employment Issues
• 17:09 Developmental Implications of Avoidant Personality
• 19:04 Avoidant Personality vs Social Anxiety
• 24:29 Unfiltered Thoughts on Avoidant Personality Disorder
• 35:10 Summary & Conclusion