Which cluster would include avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders?

• A. Cluster A
• B. Cluster B
• C. Cluster C
• D. Cognitive perspective

Answer: (C)

The three disorders share a pattern of anxiety and fearfulness that affects how someone relates to others and handles daily life, so they belong to the anxious/fearful cluster. Avoidant personality disorder involves social inhibition and hypersensitivity to rejection; dependent personality disorder shows a strong need to be cared for and fear of separation; obsessive-compulsive personality disorder emphasizes perfectionism, rigidity, and a need for control. This common anxious/fearful presentation is why they’re grouped together in Cluster C. The other clusters capture different patterns—Cluster A includes odd or eccentric types, while Cluster B includes dramatic or erratic types—and the cognitive perspective is not a cluster of personality disorders at all.