PDA: Resistance as Wisdom, Not Defiance?
Exploring Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) as a Neurological, Conditioned, and Trauma Response
At its heart, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)—or as some have more affirmingly reframed it, a Persistent Drive for Autonomy—is far more complex than simple resistance or procrastination. For those who experience PDA, demands (both external and internal) can trigger a powerful, almost involuntary reaction that feels like a threat to one’s sense of autonomy. This reaction often brings on intense anxiety and emotional dysregulation.
As I’ve reflected more deeply on PDA, I’ve begun to wonder: How much of this resistance stems not just from neurodivergent wiring, but also from inherited patterns—layers of generational conditioning around control, obedience, and survival? In this essay, I explore PDA not only as a behavioral profile within the autism and AuDHD communities, but also as a response shaped by personal experience, cultural conditioning, and possibly even ancestral trauma.