Anxiety disorders can be classified in many ways. What we will see below is one of them. Anxious people are not anxious out of pure desire, nor can they modify this behavior on their own, but in most cases they need professional help to control or cure said disorder.
Without going any further, in this Psychology-online article, we will talk about avoidant disorder, dependent disorder and OCD. Although they are not all, they are the main ones. If you want to know what they consist of, keep reading this article about personality disorders and anxious people.
Avoidant personality disorder (avoidant)
n pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation, beginning in adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:
- Avoid social activities involving significant interpersonal contact, due to fears of criticism, disapproval, or rejection.
- is not willing to get involved with people unless you are sure you are loved.
- Show restraint in intimate relationships due to fear of being embarrassed or ridiculed.
- Worries about being criticized or rejected in social situations.
- Becomes inhibited in new situations interpersonal due to feelings of inadequacy.
- He sees himself as socially ineptpersonally unpleasant, or inferior to others.
- It is extraordinarily reluctant to take personal risks or to participate in any new activity because it may be embarrassing.
These are the classic people that psychologists refer to as often as those of “low self-esteem”. Shy and clumsy, they can become increasingly isolated, resembling more of the schizoid personality. But notice the difference: the schizoid does not want relationships with others. The avoidant would really like to have friends, but he is too afraid of rejection to try. It is absolutely difficult to distinguish an avoidant personality disorder from social anxiety or even simple shyness. In some cultures, most women and many men behave this way, in which case we wouldn’t call it a disorder.
Dependent personality disorder
In dependent personality disorder, there is a generalized and excessive need to be cared forwhich leads to submissive and clinging behavior and fears of separation, which begins in adulthood and occurs in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
- Has difficulty making decisions everyday life without an excessive amount of advice and approval from others.
- You need others to take responsibility for most important areas of your life.
- Has difficulty expressing disagreement with others due to fear of loss of support or approval.
- Has difficulty initiating projects or doing things on his or her own (due to a lack of self-confidence, judgment, or abilities rather than a lack of motivation or energy).
- Does excessive efforts for obtaining protection and support from others to the point of volunteering to do things that are unpleasant.
- It feels uncomfortable or helpless when he is alone due to exaggerated fears of not being able to take care of himself.
- He urgently seeks another relationship as a source of care and support when he breaks up with his partner.
- Worries unrealistically for fear of being left taking care of yourself.
You could see the dependent personality as an avoidant personality with a little more common sense, enough to get other people to help you.
Also like the avoidant personality, many cultures (especially sociocentric ones) encourage a degree of dependency. The fact that this disorder is most commonly diagnosed personality disorderand that it is diagnosed predominantly in women, supports the idea that this may be cultural.
One of the classic situations where we find dependent personalities is in marriages where one allows the other to completely dominate the relationship. Sadly, many people in abusive relationships enter them out of desperation for someone to take control of their lives for them.
Obsessive compulsive personality disorder
In obsessive-compulsive disorder, a dominant pattern is preoccupation with order, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and effectiveness, which begins in adulthood and presents in a variety of contexts, such as indicate four (or more) of the following:
- He cares about the detailsrules, lists, order, organization, or schedule to the point that the main objective of the activity is lost.
- Shows so much perfectionism that interferes with task completion (for example, you can’t finish a project because your own standards are not met).
- He dedicates himself excessively to work and productivityexcluding hobbies and friendships.
- He is conscientious, scrupulous and inflexible in matters of morality, ethics, or values (not explained by cultural or religious identification).
- You cannot throw away objects worn out or worthless even when they have no sentimental value.
- He is reluctant to delegate tasks or work with others unless they submit exactly to his way of doing things.
- Adopts a miserly style of spending towards self and others; money looks like something to accumulate for future catastrophes.
- Sample rigidity and obstinacy.
Very often, when we say that someone we know is obsessive, it does not mean that they have OCD. It means he has an obsessive personality disorder. These are the perfectionists, not the ones who just want to do their best, just the ones who get terrified when things aren’t perfect. This kind of perfectionism can work in your favor: many teachers have at least a degree of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and it appears to be a requirement for a career in medicine!
Unfortunately, obsessive-compulsives they sell out often. Some also wear down those around them, for example in the case of office dictators who believe that everyone must adhere to their impossible standards.
The obsessive personality is more common among men than women, and is often found in fundamentalist groups of any religion, where strict compliance with rules is of utmost importance. In some societies, especially hierarchical (vs. egalitarian) and sociocentric (vs. egocentric), this kind of behavior is considered normal, not pathological.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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