ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on diagnosis, psychological assessment, case conceptualization, and treatment interventions. It begins with background information on the disorder as well as a DSM-5 description and a prototypic description of this disorder. The Avoidant Personality Disorder can be recognized by the following descriptors or characteristics: style vs. disorder, triggering event(s), behavioral style, interpersonal style, cognitive style, affective style, attachment style, and optimal diagnostic criterion. According to Benjamin, persons diagnosed with Avoidant Personality Disorder tended to begin their development sequence with appropriate nurturance and social bonding. The Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory (MMPI-2), the Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-IV), and the Rorschach Psychodiagnostic Test can be useful in diagnosing the Avoidant Personality Disorder as well as the Avoidant Personality Style or trait. Fiore, Dimaggio, Nicolo, Giuseppe, Semerari, and Carcione (2008) reported a case study using metacognitive interpersonal therapy to treat a 48-year-old male computer manager with Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder and Avoidant Personality Disorder.
