ABSTRACT
The conceptualization and diagnostic criteria for avoidant personality disorder (APD) first appeared in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Edition (DSM-III) (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1980; Frances, 1980). Although earlier theorists had described characteristics related to APD, this diagnosis was not formally included in the diagnostic nomenclature before the DSM-III. For instance, some of the dynamics of this disorder were suggested in Fenichel’s (1945) description of the phobic character-a tense, apprehensive, fearful person who exhibits a general inhibition across a wide range of activities (Frances & Widiger, 1987). Others in the analytic tradition had written about individuals who exhibit a conflict about getting involved with others, and whose behavior shifts between a desire to develop relationships and a desire to avoid relationships. These are the dynamics associated with the analytic view of a schizoid character. Guntrip (1968), for instance, referred to the approach-avoidance conflict schizoid individuals experience as the “in-out” paradigm.
