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What's your PDA?

Damojo

How does your persistent drive for autonomy (PDA) manifest itself? (Or pathological demand avoidance, as the medics call it.)

I suspect I might have a bit of it, but I'm not sure. I seem to have (and always had) an instinctive resistance to social pressure, rather than a desire not to do what someone asks:

  • I hate whatever is "fashionable". I will go out of my way to be unfashionable. Including, but not limited to:
    • Manufactured pop music (cause of my most recent meltdown)
    • Clothing trends (jeans and a T-shirt have done me since the 80s)
    • Reality TV shows (unless narrated by David Attenborough)
    • Anything made by Apple
    • New/wrong words or phrases (like "irregardless" or "going forward")
  • I refuse to do things "just because". There has to be a reason. I won't ...
    • Panic buy toilet roll when there's a pandemic
    • Eat at McDonald's (it's garbage)
    • Admire royalty
    • Wear fancy dress
    • Do the ice bucket challenge
    • (I make an exception for red wine; it is its own reason)
  • I hate whatever is heavily advertised. Sure, it might not be a bad product, but I'm not paying extra to fund being advertised at really irritatingly. If they persist, I'll make point of never buying their product—ever:
    • Gillette razors
    • Any major brand of washing powder and, even more-so, those capsules kids love to eat
    • Anything that solves a non-existent problem (bottled water, "detox" anything)
    • Kellogg's anything
    • Insurance comparison sites
    • Every single online gambling site (don't get me started on that one)

Anyone got anything like that? Is that even PDA or am I just a cranky old fart?

Parents

  • I share your aversion to most of the things on your list, including to advertised products, but that is because I do my research when making purchases I need, and I don’t need most of the things advertised. Also, I am not drawn in by the advertisements and their claims which can be misleading and are sometimes bordering on the edge of fantasy.

    I don’t follow the latest trends in anything and I don’t eat fast food from takeaways. I don’t know the names of many film and TV stars or any of the names of songs by Beyoncé or Taylor Swift. In fact, I don’t know what Beyoncé looks like and I have only recently learned to identify Taylor Swift in a photograph. 

    I do have all Apple products because they are meant to be more secure from hackers, they are straightforward to use, and banking, photos and documents work seamlessly across devices. I hate trailing wires or technology to look a mess with bits and pieces all over the place, so my iMac doesn’t glare back at me in that respect. 

    Damojo said:
    suspect I might have a bit of it

    I believe that researchers are not able to come up with a universally accepted definition of PDA. I haven’t trawled round all the information out there on PDA, so I can’t comment on your experience. I haven’t PDA and I believe my preferences are because I am autistic and have restricted and intense interests elsewhere.

  • in reply to ArchaeC

    I mean I’d probably struggle to recognise Billie Elsie unless she had the famous hair colours she’s had but I can recognise Beyoncé and Tay anywhere even like old pics of them from bedroom I knew who they were from 

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