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Dominant active avoidance:
a central characteristic of the behaviour of individuals with
neurotic symptoms
Janna D. Van Delden - Van
Der Wolf and Bart E.E. Bruins
Regional Institution
for Out-patient Mental Health Care MIDDEN-HOLLAND, The Netherlands
The Theory of Dominant Active
Avoidance accounts for the development and persistence of symptoms
by the absence of specific stimuli controlling successful, i.e.
symptom free behaviour.
Analyses in clinical practice (of successful, i.e.) symptom free
behaviour have revealed that individuals with symptoms have a
specific pattern of behaviour, characterized by a dominance of
active avoidance over approach and escape behaviour. Moreover,
the controlling stimuli of this active avoidance refer to one
particular class of social disqualification, which differs per
individual. Active avoidance of this disqualification stimulus
resulting in a safety signal gives a feeling of security and
is not compatible with having symptoms.
When a situation does not contain at least one discriminative
stimulus for that specific active avoidance behaviour, the behaviour
regulation fails. The resulting disruption of behaviour evokes
a panic state, as we know also from the experimental restriction
of avoidance behaviour. By subsequent conditioning, such panic
states develop into a variety of symptoms, like phobias, compulsion
and mood disorders.
Keywords: active avoidance behaviour, symptoms, successful behaviour |