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General Personality Science

Demand Avoidance

The avoidance of tasks or requests — ranging from normal procrastination to the extreme PDA profile in autism. Understanding the cause (anxiety vs. boredom vs. executive dysfunction) determines the solution.

Demand avoidance exists on a spectrum. At one end: normal procrastination (everyone avoids boring tasks). At the other: PDA (anxiety-driven avoidance of even wanted tasks).

Causes differ and require different solutions: - **Boredom-driven** (ADHD): Task isn't stimulating enough. Fix: add novelty, body doubling, gamification. - **Overwhelm-driven** (executive dysfunction): Task feels too big. Fix: break into micro-steps, start with 2 minutes. - **Anxiety-driven** (PDA/autism): Task triggers loss-of-autonomy anxiety. Fix: reduce demands, offer choices, use indirect language. - **Burnout-driven**: No energy left. Fix: rest, reduce overall demands, address root cause.

Personality connection: Big Five Conscientiousness reflects demand compliance capacity. Low C + ADHD = highest demand avoidance. Understanding WHY you avoid helps you find the right strategy.

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Related Terms

Introversion
A personality preference for lower stimulation environments. Introverts recharge through solitude and deep focus, prefer small groups over large parties, and think before speaking.
Personality Trait
A relatively stable pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that distinguishes one person from another. Traits are continuous dimensions (not categories) measured on a spectrum.
Ambivert
A person who falls near the middle of the introversion-extraversion spectrum, displaying both introverted and extroverted behaviors depending on context. Most people (60-70%) are ambiverts.
Dark Triad
Three socially aversive personality traits: Narcissism (grandiosity, entitlement), Machiavellianism (manipulation, cynicism), and Psychopathy (callousness, impulsivity). Present to varying degrees in the general population.
Five Factor Model (FFM)
The scientific framework behind the Big Five personality test. Developed through decades of factor analysis, identifying five broad dimensions that account for most of the variance in human personality.
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