This free Avoidant Personality Disorder test will help you find out if you are suffering from AVPD. Just answer 20 simple questions to get an accurate result.
The AvPD Test Explained
It is a set of questions about your social life and how you feel about certain collective experiences. The goal is to discover if you are excessively preoccupied with being criticized/rejected or not. It uses the DSM-5 latest guidelines on how to identify a person with Avoidant Personality Disorder.
According to Dr. Ramani Durvasula, “AvPD is a pervasive pattern where a person feels very inadequate and anxious in a social setting. Such an individual believes to be inapt, socially unskilled, and very inhibited about group activities.” The quiz on this page reveals if you match the description or not.
7-Factor Accurate Avoidant Personality Disorder Test
You should be aware of this condition’s symptoms to answer questions like, “Do I have AvPD?” According to the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a person must have 4 or more of the following symptoms to be diagnosed with Avoidant Personality Disorder.
#1: Social Activity Avoidance
AvPD is a Cluster C condition. It means that the patient shows fearful thinking or anxious behavior in certain situations. That is why social activities sound scary or unpleasant to the people in this category.
#2: Engaging with Limited Trusted People
Fear rejection is so intense that the patient prefers to limit their interactions. So, they tend to spend time with friends or family members who have proven to like them.
#3: Restrain within Intimate Relationships
Speaking up and revealing feelings or thoughts is challenging for people with this condition. So, they avoid getting intimate in their relationships—as it requires a certain level of transparency.
#4: Rejection Preoccupation
AvPD patients constantly think about how scary or painful it would be to be rejected or feel ashamed. Such thoughts are so intense that they might interfere with the patient’s everyday life. Some statistics show that the unemployment and illiteracy rates are higher among this group.
#5: Inhibition in Interpersonal Situations
One of the most common symptoms of Avoidant Personality Disorder is inhibition. The patient feels so self-conscious or embarrassed that they show no spontaneity.
#6: Downgrading Self-Views
Most people with this condition consider themselves socially unskilled or even mentally or emotionally weak. It is common among individuals in this category to constantly ask, “What is wrong with me?”
#7: Reluctancy to Take Risk or Try New Things
If you have AvPD, it sounds nearly impossible to you to try something extraordinarily new. That is because risks and adventures always come with unpredictability and impulsiveness.
Who Is Ready to Take the Test?
You should be 18+ years old to take the Avoidant Personality Disorder Test. That is because a diagnosis before early adulthood is not 100% reliable. Experts suggest that you need to wait until the individual’s character is assessable. That is when you can diagnose them with a Cluster C disorder.
Note: the quiz does not have any age-restricting features. So, people below 18 years of age can take it, too. But you need to be in your early adulthood to receive the most accurate results.
Other Information You Get from the AvPD Quiz
The questionary provides you with a psychological analysis of your personality. So, it offers you a detailed answer—rather than a yes or no. Your results include the following pieces of additional information.
· Possibility of Social Anxiety
AvPD is more of a social phobia than an excessive nervousness. The test can distinguish between the two conditions and provide the correct diagnosis.
· Possibility of Dependent Personality Disorder
DPD has similar symptoms to Avoidant Personality Disorder. So, some might confuse the two. However, our quiz identifies which condition matches your character accurately.
· Depression
It is normal for Cluster C patients to ask questions like, “Am I depressed?” But such a condition might be irrelevant to a social phobia—or it might be its byproduct. You can understand the relation between the two disorders in your test result.
What Is NOT Avoidant Personality Disorder?
Like many other mental conditions, there are lots of myths and misunderstandings surrounding AvPD. However, you should know that the following terms CANNOT be used to describe this Cluster C disorder interchangeably.
Shyness
People with Avoidant Personality Disorder might feel shy in certain situations. However, shyness is not their problem—it is a side-effect of a deeper mental state.
Social Awkwardness
Not being a socially skilled or outgoing person differs from having AvPD. So, the term “social awkwardness” should not be used to describe the said condition.
Anxiety
All Cluster C illnesses include anxious behaviors and nervousness. But, again, it is a byproduct of their actual mental state—not the whole problem.
What Causes this Condition?
It is not scientifically clear that what exactly causes social phobia. However, four elements are believed to play crucial roles in its formation, childhood experiences, temperament, genetics, and attachment style.
Childhood environment
Traumas such as being bullied, humiliated, or neglected as a kid can lead to AvPD during adulthood. Such experiences damage the person’s self-esteem and self-confidence, making them inhibited and overly self-conscious in the future.
Temperament
Hypersensitive or insecure kids are more likely to face Avoidant Personality Disorders in their lives. So, the early signs of a child’s temperament might indicate an upcoming mental condition—and, therefore, should not be neglected.
Side note: You can take our exclusive Temperament Test to explore your behavioral patterns.
Attachment style
The AvPD test looks for any signs of insecure attachment. Such a pattern indicates higher chances of facing a mental condition.
Genetics
While not completely proven, some psychologists believe that genetics affect AvPD. Kids with parents who have Cluster C conditions are more prone to similar problems.
Read Before Taking the AvPD Test
Keep in mind that this is a treatable disorder. CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the most reliable treatments. However, in recent years, other methods such as group therapy have proven highly effective.
Disclaimer
The Avoidant Personality Disorder Test uses the DSM-5 guidelines. However, it does not provide you with a clinical diagnosis.
How to Play?
Playing personality quizzes is straightforward: Choose the option that’s true about you—or you relate to—and select “Next.” Unlike trivia quizzes, personality tests have no right or wrong answers. But the questions are in forced-choice format. The point is to push you to choose an option that makes the most sense, not the one that’s 100% true. For the most accurate results, don’t overthink your responses. Go with options that you “feel” are the best.
Questions of the quiz
- 1How would you react if a friend invited you to a party where you’ll meet 15 new people?
I’d love to go
I’d feel anxious
I’d say NO—no way
I don’t have any friends
- 2How often do you throw a party?
Once in a while or frequently
Only when I have to (occasional)
Never
I hate parties
- 3Which one describes perfect people for a fun gathering?
Fun and enthusiastic people
People I already know
Friends and family
No one. I hate gatherings
- 4Fill in the blank. I am comfortable with people who _________.
Are nice and respectful
Do not talk to me too much
I already know (my circle)
Mind their own business
- 5How often do you overthink and review your interactions with newly met people?
Rarely
Frequently
Always
I don’t interact with people
- 6How do you feel when someone criticizes your personality or look?
Sad
Anxious
Broken
Numb
- 7Which one describes you in a relationship?
Talkative and extroverted
One who tries to be an extroverted
An introverted person
I don’t like relationships
- 8How many best friends do you have? (People who know everything about you and your life).
More than 3
2
1
0
- 9Fill in the blank. I think people would ______ me if they knew who I am.
Like
Dislike
Hate/humiliate
Ignore
- 10I feel like embarrassment is ____________.
A part of life
Extremely uncomfortable
Unbearably painful
A pointless feeling
- 11I _______ it when someone makes a comment about me.
Like
Dislike
Hate
Ignore
- 12I don’t know how to respond to or what to do after someone criticizes me.
Disagree
Slightly agree
Strongly agree
I don’t care about others’ comments
- 13It takes me _________ to recover from an unpleasant social situation.
A few minutes/hours
A few days
A few weeks
Forever
- 14I believe I’m a socially unskilled person.
Disagree
Slightly agree
Strongly agree
I don’t care about social skills
- 15I __________ meeting new people.
Like
Don’t like
Fear
Hate
- 16How likely are you to start a convo with a stranger that seems like an interesting/attractive person?
Very likely
Not really likely
I’d never do that
I don’t care how attractive people are
- 17On a scale of 0 to 10, how much do you think people who get to know you will like you?
7-10
3-6
Less than 3
I don’t care what people think about me
- 18Which one sounds like the way you would introduce yourself to someone you just met?
Detailed
Not very detailed
Vague and without any details
I give them my name, that’s it
- 19What do you say about a crazy surprise trip for the weekend?
I’m all in
I need to think
Nope. I don’t like it
I don’t like weekend plans
- 20Your friends want you to join them in karaoke. What do you say?
Sure!
Maybe
NEVER
I don’t have any friends