CALL THEM OUT, but with gentleness¶

Avoidants use five distinct deflection tactics to sidestep emotional accountability, all rooted in their limited capacity for vulnerability.

Key points¶

Humor as a shield: they joke or go sarcastic when a conversation gets real, keeping themselves from feeling exposed.
Flipping the script: instead of owning their distance, they label you too needy or too sensitive to avoid looking inward.
Minimizing: "it wasn't a big deal, you're overthinking it" lets them avoid sitting with the emotional weight of their actions.
Subject change: pivoting to work or something unrelated in real time is not random -- it is active avoidance of intimacy.
Silent retreat: going quiet rather than answering hard questions is the ultimate deflection; disappearing is easier than confronting emotions.