Avoidant Personality Disorder, Traits, and Type In this chapter,
the evolution of the avoidant personality disorder (AVPD)
diagnosis, its current status, and future possibilities are
reviewed. AVPD is a chronic and enduring condition involving a
poor sense of self and anxiety in social situations, and it is
marked by fears of rejection and a distant interpersonal stance.
AVPD may be conceptualized at the severe end of a continuum of
social anxiety. In the extreme, traits, mechanisms, and symptoms
become integral to chronic dysfunction in personality and
interpersonal style. While AVPD is a valid diagnostic construct,
the optimal organization of AVPD criteria for the diagnosis, and
the relationship of avoidant personality traits to anxiety,
remain to be determined. Sanislow, C. A., da Cruz, K., Gianoli,
M. O., & Reagan, E. R. (2012). "Avoidant Personality Disorder,
Traits, and Type" The Oxford Handbook for Personality Disorders.
Ed. T. A. Widiger. New York: Oxford University Press (pp.
549-565). This document