Avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) is a Cluster C personality disorder. Those affected display a pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy and inferiority, extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation, and avoidance of social interaction despite a strong desire to be close to others. Individuals with the disorder tend to describe themselves as uneasy, anxious, lonely, unwanted and isolated from others. The behavior typically begins by early adulthood, and occurs across a variety of situations.
People with avoidant personality disorder often consider themselves to be socially inept or personally unappealing and avoid social interaction for fear of being ridiculed, humiliated, rejected, or disliked. As the name suggests, the main coping mechanism of those with avoidant personality disorder is avoidance of feared stimuli. Avoidant personality disorder is usually first noticed in early adulthood, with both childhood emotional neglect (in particular, the rejection of a child by one or both parents) and peer group rejection being associated with an increased risk for its development. While some scientists claim the exact causes for the disorder are unknown, others found that "parents of avoidant children seemed to have difficulty with their own negative emotions."
Those with this disorder may often choose jobs of isolation so that they do not have to interact with the public regularly, due to their anxiety and fear of embarrassing themselves in front of others. Some with this disorder may fantasize about idealized, accepting, and affectionate relationships, due to their desire to belong. They often feel themselves unworthy of the relationships they desire, so they shame themselves from ever attempting the relationship.
People with avoidant personality disorder are preoccupied with their own shortcomings and form relationships with others only if they believe they will not be rejected. Loss and social rejection are so painful that these individuals will choose to be alone rather than risk trying to connect with others (see rejection sensitivity). They often view themselves with contempt, while showing an increased inability to identify traits within themselves that are generally considered as positive within their societies.