Avoidant
The avoidant personality disorder is found to be more common in relatives of individuals who have this disorder than those with no traces of this disorder in their families and relatives.
Individuals with avoidant personality disorder are always anxious about receiving criticisms from people. To prevent this to happen, they avoid meeting and mingling with people, in fear of being ridiculed or criticized. In choosing their path of careers or jobs, they prefer those that can be termed as “socially isolated”, just like going into the wilderness and become rangers. However, when they have no other choice but to meet and interact with others, they are always hesitant and feel extremely nervous. They tend to assume others’ acts and reactions, like they feel they are being criticized or assessed. They always are afraid of displeasing others. They have extreme fear of doing or uttering something that will put them to public ridicule. These people have common emotions of loneliness and depression.
What’s interesting about this group of people is that they actually always have the seeking for relationships with others. However, they also feel that they are unworthy of sharing relationships with these people; and thus, they only separate themselves from others.
Theorists think that people are able to develop the avoidant personality disorder because in their early years of life, they have this belief of being worthless due to several rejection experiences. Maybe they have received rejection from their parents, from their siblings, from friends, or from anyone who has made them feel inferior. They always see the need to please others only because they are afraid to be criticized. They don’t take seriously the positive comments of others given to them – they feel that these are not sincere and true, or they never believe in themselves in the first place.