Avoidant Personality Disorder Case Study

The storyline of Charlie Brown is focused on a very small social circle of young children. One of the main animated character is Charlie Brown who has various insecurities. The author made a common connection between himself and the character. He was a child who others preyed on and made a mockery out of. The comical was used as an example of a great American un-success story, where the character failed at everything he attempted to do. Charlie Brown was always prone to bad luck.

Symptoms and behavior of avoidant personality disorder include avoiding occupational activities involving interpersonal contact due to fears of criticism, rejection and disapproval, social anxiety, being easily hurt by criticism or disapproval, beliefs and fear of inadequacy being preoccupied

The importance of Childhood Trauma is associated with the way children react later on in their life, as it plays an important role. There are several different types of maltreatment that are associated with abuse that can harm the child in the long run. Any type of physical abuse, emotional abuse or sexual abuse contributes to the negative affects that can change the child’s personality. If the child’s parents obtain physical neglect or emotional neglect, it can factor in changing a child’s moods, as it causes them to change into a different person. This experience causes them to develop different types of personality disorders such as Antisocial, Borderline, Narcissistic, Paranoia, Schizoid, and Schizotypal. Many children are affected through the terrible experience which develops mistrust in the world, and later causes them to turn against society because of the constant neglect that is inflicted onto them.

The DSM-5 defines avoidant personality disorder as “A pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to criticism… starting in early adulthood in many contexts” (Hyde 2017a). This is most evident in the passage where Zailckas explains her reasoning for avoiding her hall mates and roommate Wendi. She declares, “I don’t avoid you because I think I’m superior, I do it because I think I’m inferior. I do it because I think you don’t want me, and that lowliness is the reason that I drink, too” (p.

“The child withdraws to a dark hole disconnected from the rest of the world, or watches people with fear and hatred at a far distance, with an internal chaos taking charge of the child’s life.” (Shi, 2014) If a child has been a victim of neglect or abuse, they will have a hard time trusting others. It severely affects them and their way of viewing the world. They get disconnected and stay away from others. They start to resent others, for that’s all they’ve

The three main clusters of personality disorders are odd and eccentric behavior, dramatic, emotional or erratic behavior, and anxious and fearful behavior. Cluster A, Odd and eccentric behavior are personality disorders characterized by social awkwardness and social withdrawal. These disorders show a stable pattern of remarkably unusual behavior and are commonly characterized by distorted thinking. An example is Paranoid Personality Disorder which is characterized by a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of other people. Next cluster B is dramatic, emotional, or erratic behaviors and these disorders are characterized by shared problems with impulse control and emotional regulation. An example is Antisocial Personality Disorder which is characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for the rights of other people that often manifests as hostility and/or aggression. Lastly, Cluster C is anxious and fearful behavior and these personality disorders are share a high level of anxiety and represent range of symptoms for abnormal manifestations of apprehensiveness, timid, or frightened behavior. An example is Avoidant Personality Disorder which is characterized by a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and a hypersensitivity to negative evaluation. People with this disorder are intensely afraid that others will ridicule them, reject them, or criticize them.

Children who experience persistent neglect or abuse may develop a fearful-avoidant or disorganized-disoriented attachment style. When the person who is supposed to love and care for you is the person who hurts you, it makes sense that you could grow up to fear both intimacy and being alone. Individuals with this attachment style have a hard time trusting people, close themselves off emotionally, are terrified of rejection, and may be uncomfortable showing

It known as the anxious and fearful Cluster. It includes avoidant, obsessive-compulsive and dependent personality disorder. They all have a genetic association to anxiety. Individuals who are shy, timid, and socially inhibited characterize the avoidant personality disorder. They have extremely low self-esteem, and see themselves as incapable, inadequate and undesirable. This people want close relationships, but rarely take social risks. As a result, they avoid social situations, which makes it harder for them to meet people. They are also hypersensitive to rejection and negative feedback, becoming even more withdrawn when that happens.

Antisocial behavior is a problem that arises from the combination of several factors among which the behaviors at school, drug use, alcoholism, antisocial relationships with peers, emotional disorders, abuse, and family problems among other situations make the individuals vulnerable to develop it (Jaffee, Strait & Odgers, 2012). There is a number of literature that suggest that antisocial personality disorder is highly associated with psychopathy. In order to understand antisocial personality disorder, we first need to understand what it entails. This research paper will discuss the different aspects involved in antisocial personality disorder also known as (ASPD). The categories to be discussed are: historical context, diagnostic description, etiology, treatment, summary and discussion.

A study conducted by Termini et al (2009) asserted that in order for a child to develop into a successful adult, they need a positive experience and the encouraging influence of a parental figure. The interactions between parent and child are learning experiences that will be imprinted on them across a lifetime. When unhealthy and abusive bonds are formed, the children will grow into adults with anti-social behaviors. These bonds can be established as early as infancy in many cases. Although the age range utilized for this experiment were 5 to 19 years of age, due to the importance of understanding various attachment styles across a lifetime, it is critical to further understand this course of research. Furthermore, previous research has established a pattern of personality traits often demonstrated by victims of child abuse. The research conducted by Termini et al (2009) primary focus is on individuals who were diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder. Individuals diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder typically have a history of being

“In 2013, an estimate of 679, 000 children were abused or neglected” (National Children’s Alliance, 2013). Abuse and/or neglect history in young adults can have strong impact physically and emotionally. Previous researchers have found that abuse and/or neglect in young adults can be one linked to personality disorders. They have found that Anti-social Personality Disorder (APD) can be one of the personality disorders that’s linked to abuse and/or neglect. “APD is characterised by a pervasive pattern of poor social conformity, deceitfulness’, impulsivity, aggressiveness, irresponsibility, lack of remorse and criminality” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

Avoidance is not only a central aspect of DID, but it is also a barrier to treating DID. While the development of DID may be adaptive in children, it is less adaptive in the long-term (Maiese, 2016), especially as a central goal of treatment is to fuse together a person’s identities (Pollock, Macfie, & Elledge, 2016). Avoidance prevents this fusion of identities as a person with DID needs to be able to resolve their painful issues, including their traumatic memories, which is especially avoided (ISSTD, 2011). Furthermore, the treatment process itself can be overwhelming for some people who are especially avoidant (Kluft, 2012), such as for those with avoidant personality disorder (Baars et al., 2011). Indeed, avoidance goals have been linked

The following is a case study of a male client, Dexter, suffering from antisocial personality disorder (psychopath), a chronic mental condition in which a person's ways of thinking, perceiving situations and relating to others are dysfunctional — and destructive ("Antisocial personality disorder", 2015). One result of antisocial personality disorder is the person has no regard for right and wrong and they usually disregard the rights and feelings of others. The client was diagnosed and given an assessment with the goal of managing his symptoms. Through a process of discovery, the client's history finally revealed that the disorder was actually a result of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) caused by a past experience. People with PTSD often fear re-experiencing a traumatic event and sometimes are unable to remember certain aspects. However, through psychotherapy and medication, this client illustrates a successful management of his symptoms.

“According to the ICD-10, a patient must have a minimum of four of these traits to be diagnosed with avoidant personality disorder: persistent and pervasive feelings of tension and apprehension, belief hat one is socially inept, personally unappealing or inferior to others, excessive preoccupation with being criticized or rejected in social situations, unwieldiness to become involved with people unless certain of being liked., restrictions in lifestyle because of need to have physical security, avoidance of social or occupational activities that involve significant interpersonal contact because of fear of criticism, disapproval, or rejection.” (According to Millon,

This disorder includes antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders. Antisocial personality disorder is “a personality disorder marked by a general pattern disregard for and violation of other people’s rights” (Comer, 2009, p.408). There is no treatment that has shown to make a big difference for those suffering from antisocial personality disorder. This disorder is explained from the psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, and biological models. Theorists believe that this disorder arises from lack of parental love, learned through modeling, a genuine difficulty in recognizing someone else’s point of view. Borderline personality disorder is “a personality disorder characterized by repeated instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and mood and by impulsive behavior” (Comer, 2009, p.413). The fear of abandonment plagues the life of those with this disorder, so theorist believe that early parental relationship plays a role. Borderline personality disorder has also been linked to biological abnormalities, such as an overly reactive amygdala and underactive prefrontal cortex. The treatments for borderline personality disorder is psychotherapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and psychotropic drug treatment are all treatment options. Histrionic personality disorder is “a personality disorder characterized by a pattern of excessive emotionally and attention seeking” (Comer, 2009, p.419). This disorder is explained by unhealthy relationship with parents who leave a child feeling unloved. Cognitive theorist believe that patients stop viewing the world at large and become self-focused and emotional. The treatment for histrionic personality disorder is therapy to help the patient to stop feeling helpless. Therapist also use psychodynamic therapy and group therapy. Narcissistic personality disorder is “a personality disorder marked by a broad pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration,