Avoidant personality disorder causes a person to avoid interaction
with other people, especially if the interaction involves a new activity that
may prove embarrassing. The person has difficulty maintaining jobs working with
other people, difficulty maintaining relationships, and views others to be
socially superior.
The fear associated with avoidant personality disorder stems from
low self-esteem, shyness, and being overly sensitive to negative evaluation by
others. Avoidant personality disorder may be a more severe form of social
anxiety disorder (another disorder that causes fear of being ridiculed in
public).
