Struggling to be a person: Lived experience of avoidant personality disorder

Abstract

Objective: To better understand the subjective lived experience of persons diagnosed with avoidant personality disorder (AVPD).Methods: Persons with an AVPD (N = 15) were interviewed twice with semistructured qualitative interviews and analyzed through interpretative-phenomenological analysis.Persons with first-hand experience of AVPD were included in the research process.Results: The superordinate theme, "struggling to be a person," encompassed two main themes. The first, "fear and longing," incorporated the subthemes "longing for connection," "dreading to get close" and "being alone, for better or for worse." The second main theme, "a doubting self," included the subthemes "feeling insecure" and "searching for a sense of self." Conclusions: The findings shed light on how the reflexive selves of people with AVPD might struggle with sensemaking, sense of agency, and identity. This study underscores how impaired tacit knowledge of social behavior can hamper the process of being a person in relation to others. K E Y W O R D S avoidant personality disorder, qualitative research, sense of self, service-user involvement, subjective lived experience

Level of personality functioning as a predictor of psychosocial functioning—Concurrent validity of criterion A.

“…In one of these studies, psychosocial dysfunction measured by WSAS was associated with AVPD beyond other psychopathology (both symptom disorders and other PDs) (Eikenaes et al, 2013). In another recently published Norwegian qualitative study, help-seeking patients with AVPD were interviewed about their everyday life experiences (Sørensen, Råbu, Wilberg, & Berthelsen, 2019). The authors concluded the followings: "Overall, the findings revealed how the participants' efforts at sense-making of their own experiences sometimes resulted in the questioning of their identity and sense of agency -leaving them bereft of options for resolving their rational problems" (p. 675).…”

Lived Experience of Treatment for Avoidant Personality Disorder: Searching for Courage to Be

“…Persons diagnosed with AVPD experience considerable ongoing fear and insecurity, and work hard to endure these, while longing for connection, both to themselves and others (Sørensen et al, 2019). The participants in this study expressed how they search for answers regarding how they can become able to overcome their fears and insecurities and accomplish their goals.…”

“…Previously, we reported from our qualitative research project on the subjective lived experiences of AVPD as it relates to everyday life challenges and strategies (Sørensen et al, 2019). Their everyday lives came across as characterized by an ongoing struggle with sense making, sense of agency, and identity, as the participants both feared and longed for connection with others and described searching for a sense of self.…”

“…Their everyday lives came across as characterized by an ongoing struggle with sense making, sense of agency, and identity, as the participants both feared and longed for connection with others and described searching for a sense of self. Furthermore, this struggle seemed related to efforts at emerging as a relational person in a lifeworld of isolation that resulted in a sense of unresolvable intentions and left them bereft of options for resolving their relational challenges (Sørensen et al, 2019). Another research question within this project inquired into how persons diagnosed with AVPD made sense of their experiences with treatment and corresponding efforts at improving their condition.…”

Subjective experience of the origin and development of avoidant personality disorder

“…Previously, we reported findings from our qualitative research on the subjective lived experience of AVPD as it relates to everyday life challenges and strategies (Sørensen, Råbu, Wilberg, & Berthelsen, 2019). The findings highlighted an ongoing struggle with sense‐making, the sense of agency and identity, as participants both feared and longed for connection with others and described searching for a sense of self (Sørensen et al, 2019). Another topic addressed in the research project was how persons diagnosed with AVPD make sense of the origin, causes, or development of current everyday concerns.…”