Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)

Sometimes conceptualised as an autism subtype, the core identifying trait of PDA is high anxiety driven by threats (simply perceived or overtly expressed) to an individual’s autonomy, which threatened their sense of safety. What is characterised as ‘avoidant behaviour’ are, in reality, actions taken (subconsciously) to retain autonomy and restore their sense of safety. The PDA community rejects the pathological framing; they prefer more affirming terms that remove judgemental overtones, such as Pervasive Drive for Autonomy (PDA) or Rational Demand Avoidance (RDA). A less affirming term, but not as negative as Pathological Demand Avoidance, is Demand Avoidance Phenomena (DAP).