THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAVING AVOIDANT PERSONALITY DISORDER AND JUST BEING SOCIALLY AWKWARD

An avoidant personality disorder is characterized by a lack of socializing or intimate relationships due to beliefs or thoughts that you are inferior to others and feel that you deserve to be rejected or humiliated. In contrast, social awkwardness arises when individuals fear being rejected or embarrassed in certain social environments. This is due to irrational fears, but individuals tend to know that society does not judge them harshly, unlike in APD, where victims feel worthless and perceive negative thoughts that impact the mental clarity of socializing or how other people view them.

People with APD have low self-esteem and have negative beliefs or naturally inferior judgments. Their social fear is based on their mental acceptance of the harsh and erroneous criticism, judgments, or rejection they receive from others. On the other hand, people with social awkwardness have high self-esteem but have social fears due to fear of rejection or embarrassment, but don’t they don’t value other people’s opinions or judgment like in APD.

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Ieva Kubiliute

Psychologist and a Sex and Relationships Advisor at shopgiejo.com

Ieva Kubiliute is a psychologist and a sex and relationships advisor and a freelance writer. She's also a consultant to several health and wellness brands. While Ieva specialises in covering wellness topics ranging from fitness and nutrition, to mental wellbeing, sex and relationships and health conditions, she has written across a diverse range of lifestyle topics, including beauty and travel. Career highlights so far include: luxury spa-hopping in Spain and joining an £18k-a-year London gym. Someone’s got to do it! When she’s not typing away at her desk—or interviewing experts and case studies, Ieva winds down with yoga, a good movie and great skincare (affordable of course, there’s little she doesn’t know about budget beauty). Things that bring her endless joy: digital detoxes, oat milk lattes and long country walks (and sometimes jogs).

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