Personality disorders are usually not considered true disabilities, even when their impact in someoneās life can be so tremendous and devastating - despite the fact that some PDs could even be considered āassetsā and advantageous, putting people in places of power or in organizational roles, for example, but thereās human beings behind theseĀ āworkersā first and foremost.
If youāre in that place where you, seemingly, can āfunctionā well but not good enough to be able to blend in. You might fall under the cracks and become marginalized.
In case of AvPD, marginalization might mean more social exclusion and scrutiny. Then, more avoidance as a result, and because of the nature of employment issues in current society, that in itself becomes a trigger for the disorder: competition, rejection, needing to have excellent social skills, or resigning oneself to solitary low-paying jobs (that might exacerbate loneliness), and so on.
Maybe you canāt get disability benefits, you canāt get a stable job (or leave a dead-end job that sucks the life out of you), you feel unsafe and youāre an unreliable person (or so other people make you feel like it).
If youāre on government benefits or working odd jobs, that might not really āboostā your social life all that much either. Socially, youāre still viewed as ālessā than a person with a full-fledged job.
All in all, these are disadvantageous things to consider when building someoneās social circle, and very limiting too.
This paper is related to AvPD in several aspects. Avoidants are most likely to be chronically unemployed or underemployed, job hopping, or working gigs and temporary or seasonal jobs, without much stability, thus worsening the disorder. It traps people in a cycle of poverty nearly impossible to leave.
Long-term unemployment (when a person is jobless for more than 12 months) can have serious negative consequences for the individual, society and its economic system. People who are unemployed for a long-term period find it more difficult to be employed as time goes by (ā¦) the probability of leaving unemployment decreases significantly with its duration, leading to an increased possibility of remaining unemployed. Over time as unemployment continues, long-term unemployed persons probably leave the labour force and retire, enrol in disability programmes, or simply become discouraged workers.
(ā¦) In general, long-term unemployment is more or less a determinant of social exclusion. It is a multidimensional process that weakens the links between an individual and the community. The characteristics of exclusion are related to access to the labour market, basic social services and the social network. One of the most important forms of deprivation is limited access to the labour market.
(ā¦) People often define themselves and are frequently demarcated by others by what they do for a living. Economic and sociological research and studies underline that employment is not only the most important determining factor of status and human well-being, but it is also vital for generating the feeling of oneā meaning of life, social stability and securing participation in society (ā¦) If people are working, it is unlikely that they will be poor (ā¦) Consequently, efforts are made for people to work and earn a salary, and thus be in a better position than those who obtain benefits and assistance in the unemployment and social-welfare systems.
Unemployment is particularly dangerous if it lasts for a long time (for one year or longer). Long-term unemployment not only lowers employability and the likelihood of finding a job in the future, but also causes people to become isolated and sick (Spermann, 2015). The loss of a social network because of dismissal or the impossibility of finding an adequate job causes a serious shock. It can even force otherwise self-assured persons to become unconfident when applying for jobs. Nichols et al. (2013) explain that continuing unemployment decreases both the potential wages of the unemployed person and the chances of finding a new job (ā¦) long-term unemployment will probably also reduce a personās social capital ā the network of acquaintance and business contacts that enable the easier finding of a good, new job. Social capital may decrease with a longer duration of unemployment because the social network established through work contact can decline when work contact stops, or because being out of work is increasingly stigmatising the longer a person cannot find new employment. The erosion of social capital means that the longer a worker is unemployed, the less likely he or she is to find a new job (Layard et al., 2009).
(ā¦) the long-term unemployed simply are not selected for employment because employers want candidates with higher education, more qualifications or experience for the jobs that come open. A more gloomy possibility is that long-term unemployment is at least partly self-reinforcing: employers are reluctant to hire someone others have already passed over.
(ā¦) even after participation in various employment programmes, the majority of long-term unemployed persons (many of whom are recipients of social-welfare benefits) have very limited possibilities of finding a job. Without doubt, such persons face multifaceted obstacles in their search for employment, mostly have low educational attainment, live in areas with inadequate traffic connections, are of poor health or have difficulties with socialisation. Very often, they suffer from physical incapacities and/or disability, have learning difficulties and psychological problems, have experienced domestic violence, can be addicted to alcohol or drugs and so on.
(ā¦) people whose social network consists of similar unemployed persons have greater vulnerability problems when exposed to psychological and financial difficulties, which make it more difficult for them to escape unemployment and poverty. The Acheson Report (Acheson, 1998) indicates that unemployed people, particularly if they are recipients of social-welfare benefits, have a substantially lower level of psychological stability and are often prone to depression and dissatisfaction, even to the extent of causing self-injury and committing suicide. Long-term unemployment is particularly harmful for health (Nichols et al., 2013). It extinguishes personal capacities and opportunities, not only material, but also mental and social ones.
(ā¦) the negative impact of unemployment on health accumulate over time. Burgard et al. (2007) found a significant decline in self-reported health status following job loss, even after taking into account various traits of people without a job. Losses are more pronounced among those who lose jobs for health reasons, but job losses for other reasons increase depressive symptoms. Many applications without positive outcomes lead to feelings of discouragement, worthlessness and depression, loss of self-reliance, and disbelief in the future. Bƶckerman and Ilmakunnas (2009) found that the health status of those who end up unemployed is statistically significantly lower than that of the employed.
