Avoidance

Definition

Avoidance refers to the act of evading or escaping from a perceived threat or unpleasant situation. It is a common coping mechanism employed by individuals, particularly in the context of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), to alleviate distress and anxiety associated with traumatic experiences.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Avoidance is a key symptom of PTSD, where individuals actively try to avoid thoughts, feelings, or situations associated with the traumatic event.
2. Avoidance can manifest in various forms, such as avoiding people, places, or activities that remind the individual of the trauma, or engaging in emotional numbing to suppress painful emotions.
3. Prolonged avoidance can lead to social isolation, difficulties in maintaining relationships, and a reduced quality of life.
4. Avoidance is considered a maladaptive coping strategy, as it provides temporary relief but ultimately maintains the individual's fear and anxiety.
5. Exposure therapy, a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy, is often used to treat PTSD by gradually exposing the individual to the source of their trauma, with the goal of reducing the associated fear and anxiety.

Review Questions

• Explain how avoidance can be a symptom of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
  • In the context of PTSD, avoidance is a common symptom where individuals actively try to evade thoughts, feelings, or situations associated with the traumatic event they experienced. This can manifest in various ways, such as avoiding people, places, or activities that remind them of the trauma, or engaging in emotional numbing to suppress painful emotions. Avoidance provides temporary relief from the distress, but ultimately maintains the individual's fear and anxiety, leading to social isolation, difficulties in maintaining relationships, and a reduced quality of life.
• Describe how exposure therapy can be used to address avoidance in the treatment of PTSD.
  • Exposure therapy is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that is often used to treat PTSD by gradually exposing the individual to the source of their trauma. The goal of exposure therapy is to reduce the associated fear and anxiety through a process of habituation, where the individual's emotional response to the traumatic cues diminishes over time. By confronting the avoided thoughts, feelings, or situations in a safe and controlled environment, the individual can learn that the anticipated danger or distress does not actually occur, ultimately reducing the need for avoidance as a coping mechanism.
• Analyze the long-term consequences of using avoidance as a primary coping strategy for individuals with PTSD.
  • Relying on avoidance as the primary coping strategy for individuals with PTSD can have significant long-term consequences. Prolonged avoidance can lead to social isolation, difficulties in maintaining relationships, and a reduced quality of life. Additionally, avoidance prevents the individual from confronting and processing the traumatic event, which can maintain the associated fear and anxiety. This can result in a vicious cycle where the individual becomes increasingly withdrawn and disconnected from their support system, further exacerbating the symptoms of PTSD. In the long run, the use of avoidance as a coping mechanism can severely impair an individual's ability to function and adapt to daily life, underscoring the importance of addressing avoidance through evidence-based treatments like exposure therapy.

Related terms

Exposure Therapy: A form of psychotherapy that involves gradually exposing the individual to the source of their fear or trauma, with the goal of reducing the associated anxiety and distress through habituation.

Maladaptive Coping: Coping strategies that provide short-term relief but ultimately exacerbate the underlying problem, such as substance abuse or social withdrawal.

Hyperarousal: A state of heightened physiological and psychological arousal, often experienced by individuals with PTSD, which can lead to increased vigilance, irritability, and difficulty sleeping.