marta
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Post by marta on Sept 13, 2021 17:34:13 GMT
I have been reading and searching a lot, but I still don't understand very well the difference between avoidance and avoidant personality disorder.
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Post by tnr9 on Sept 13, 2021 17:42:00 GMT
It is a very good question…avoidant attachment theory is based on the earliest relationship with the parent versus avoidant personality disorder is a cluster C personality disorder. It might be beneficial to speak with a psychiatrist regarding how a avoidant personality disorder is diagnosed. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avoidant_personality_disorder |
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Post by annieb on Sept 14, 2021 16:19:33 GMT
What is the difference, basically? It’s probably the amount of awareness of the condition in the individual and the ability to self reflect and also empathize with others, would be my guess. A personality disordered person has very little self awareness would be my guess and are in a complete denial. They would have to go through some kind of rock bottom event to maybe start gaining some insight, vs someone with avoidant attachment would have gained that insight already through some life experiences, where they were able to empathize with people they affected or themselves and catching their own thought patterns and behaviors.
The closest I’ve even been to a personality disordered person showing awareness is they do have small windows of awareness, but they are characteristically complete breakdowns and they can’t go there so to speak, they need to maintain a facade to survive. If they break down they basically die or their persona dies.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2021 16:55:01 GMT
I was actually surprised to see the question as for me, the difference is very clear between DA and AVPD.
But perhaps the similarities between FA and AVPD are more difficult to distinguish, in terms of the anxiety piece and the inability to find characteristics in themselves that are valued by society? I don't see the general fear thats described here, in dismissive insecurity, or the crippling social anxiety. There are other things as well but clearly a personality disorder is not equivalent to attachment wounding although they are comorbid because PD and secure attachment don't go hand in hand.
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Post by tnr9 on Sept 14, 2021 17:53:36 GMT
I was actually surprised to see the question as for me, the difference is very clear between DA and AVPD. But perhaps the similarities between FA and AVPD are more difficult to distinguish, in terms of the anxiety piece and the inability to find characteristics in themselves that are valued by society? I don't see the general fear thats described here, in dismissive insecurity, or the crippling social anxiety. There are other things as well but clearly a personality disorder is not equivalent to attachment wounding although they are comorbid because PD and secure attachment don't go hand in hand. I am not even sure, based on what I have read…that is fits with either FA or DA…it seems to be an avoidance that is based on several different types of social fears….the part about self harm is what concerned me the most. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2021 17:57:33 GMT
I was actually surprised to see the question as for me, the difference is very clear between DA and AVPD. But perhaps the similarities between FA and AVPD are more difficult to distinguish, in terms of the anxiety piece and the inability to find characteristics in themselves that are valued by society? I don't see the general fear thats described here, in dismissive insecurity, or the crippling social anxiety. There are other things as well but clearly a personality disorder is not equivalent to attachment wounding although they are comorbid because PD and secure attachment don't go hand in hand. I am not even sure, based on what I have read…that is fits with either FA or DA…it seems to be an avoidance that is based on several different types of social fears….the part about self harm is what concerned me the most. I think self harm can fit with FA due to trauma, but I agree there is a broader range of fears and anxiety, and deep enough to interfere with social functioning much more than attachment issues do. That's what makes a PD a disorder- the severity of impact on function in several areas of life. |
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Post by alexandra on Sept 14, 2021 21:43:49 GMT
I admittedly have limited knowledge of AVPD. But I think a main difference is it's such a constant and pathological state of being that people with AVPD will self-isolate and not even try to interact with others or possibly even try new things due to crippling social anxiety. I don't know avoidants who regularly do this. Relatively on a spectrum compared to PDs, insecure attachment is not an extreme and rigid, inflexible pathology. Avoidants get triggered by fears sometimes and have their patterns, but they're not always 100% in a state of distancing to the point that they don't have friends and don't talk to coworkers, etc. People with avoidant attachment styles need time to recharge and re-regulate and have trust and insecurity issues, but they can still function in a social society even if their ability to have romantic relationships is deeply hampered. They still tend to want some connections and are unlikely to be living a complete hermit and ultra-controlled lifestyle, possibly with significant self-harm, just to comfortably survive.
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