Avoidance describes behavior that moves away from a task, situation, or experience. Declining a task may be a deliberate choice; postponing it may be necessary. Determine what the behavior does before assuming it is avoidance.
A worked situation: Reorganizing repair photos
Fictional example. A tenant delays a landlord call while waiting for a repair photograph. That delay differs from repeatedly reorganizing photos to postpone a call whose necessary information is already available.
Work through these questions: Reorganizing repair photos
| Question or field | Fictional completed example |
|---|---|
| Behavior? | Reorganizing repair photos |
| Task displaced? | Calling the landlord |
| Necessary input? | One clear photograph |
| Current payoff hypothesis? | Avoiding an awkward conversation |
| Available step? | Send the photograph and question |
Avoidance is identified by what the substitute displaces
The same activity can be necessary in one episode and a substitute in another. Cleaning a desk before a spill-sensitive task has a purpose; reorganizing it instead of sending a ready reply may leave the chosen task untouched. Record the displaced action and the real dependency. The observation does not prove a hidden motive or a disorder.