"Pathological demand avoidance" or needing to be free?
"Pathological demand avoidance" (PDA) is the name of a life-long neurological condition. The term was coined by Professor Elizabeth Newson, who first identified the condition in the 1980s. In addition to the trait of pathological demand avoidance, PDA entails: High anxiety, control-need, use of social strategies, sociability, mood swings, comfort in fantasy & role-play and obsessive, often people-focused behaviour ( link ). And also: Disregard for social hierarchy, masking, love of novelty, dislike of routine, intolerance of uncertainty, creativity, quirky sense of humour, and (not always) a drive to rename people, animals and things. PDA Classification PDA was initially classed as a pervasive development disorder, but reclassified as an autism spectrum condition after the spectrum's definition was broadened in 2012 to include any neurotype featuring social communication differences and rigid thinking. You can read more about the history of PDA and its cl