APD begins as shyness and inhibition and can grow into a personality disorder if a person perceives he/she is being rejected and evaluated as inadequate on a regular basis. It starts as a pattern of active-detached personality, wherein a person intentionally avoids contact with others from fear of rejection, humiliation or ridicule. It differs from generalized social disorder only in the degree of anxiety and fear the person experiences (APD being more severe). APD usually appears in early adulthood. Persons with APD often see rejection or criticism where they don't exist. APD causes a person to look for signs of rejection and interpret their observations from that perspective. As with all pervasive personality disorders, many aspects of lifestyle are affected by APD, such as the type of job one may seek, restricting one's activites that could involve other people, unwillingness to expand one's horizons. Although the experts disagree about causes of personality disorders, the current popular theory seems to be that there is a genetic vulnerability that is exacerbated by environment: a genetic predisposition to be inhibited can develop into APD if the person's experiences reinforce feelings of inadequacy. Of course this becomes a vicious circle - the more anxious one is about the reaction of others, the more likely one is to blunder, blush, be at a loss for words. And these actions will indeed often result in a negative reaction from observers. For additional info try www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/91.cfm. In my Abnormal Psych class we used this Kantor work, "Distancing: A guide to avoidance and avoidant personality disorder".

One cause can be a "bad example" of humanity doing the victim wrong. If someone severely hurts, upsets or traumatizes another, the latter may, subconsciously come to believe that all people might be capable of inflicting similar pain upon them. Rather than have to suffer this again, the victim does what they can to keep themselves away from people, so that others cannot hurt him/her. The victim may rationally realize this, and may rationally realize that the sacrifices they make for this "safety" are not worth the benefit. But because the underlying pain is so strong, they cannot bring themselves to be sane again. This is only one cause, there may be others.

Oftentimes, the person is born sensitive to the environment, feels more acutely than others. When this is combined with an environment that is not welcoming and giving, the person may retreat into a shell and try to avoid others at all costs. Their world becomes themselves. It is painful outside this small world. +4

Why is EVERY personality trait LABELED. People say I isolate myself, and I do. I prefer my own company and have many, many interests. It's not that I don't like people; it's just that not many people have the interests that I do, nor the time to spend researching those interests. I just drove 3,000 miles round trip through AZ, UT, MT, WA, OR, CA and back by myself. Went where I wanted, ate when I wanted, slept when I wanted, and stayed where I wanted. Loved every minute of it! I wouldn't call that a AP DISORDER. I call it FREEDOM! Anyone else feel this way?