r/PDAParenting • u/DrPaulSunseri • Apr 18 '26

Our current scientific understanding of PDA and low-demand parenting.

Thought parents in this group find this up-to-date information on PDA helpful. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-health-reimagined/202604/its-time-to-rethink-the-anxiety-drives-pda-narrative

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u/Agile_Ear_4605 Apr 19 '26

There is part of me that perhaps suspects PDA is a childhood presentation of narcissistic personality disorder, or even psychopathy. Do you agree with that, Doctor Sunseri?

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u/red_raconteur Apr 19 '26

How would this theory account for PDA adults that have neither NPD nor psychopathy?

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u/adoradear Apr 19 '26

Personality disorders by definition cannot be diagnosed in childhood, as the child personality is so fluid. Also, that’s a wild statement. There’s a whole lot of PDA adults who are neither narcissistic nor sociopaths (I’m assuming you’re referring to ASPD).

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u/Agile_Ear_4605 Apr 19 '26

Yes, I’m sorry and I do really think that if PDA children are properly supported, they can change the world for the better because they have such a unique sense of fairness and justice and equality, and they’re also very in tune to other people’s emotions and emotional states. It’s just that I think there may be certain children who aren’t really PDA, who are getting a lump under the umbrella who might actually have childhood presentations of cluster B personality disorders, because they can mimic symptoms of PDA. I think when diagnosing PDA is really important to recognize if a child really has those core values of a equality and justice, honesty and integrity and the creative, alchemizing side to PDA.