Avoidance Shame Spiral (A.S.S.): A Lived Conceptualization of Neurodivergent Executive Dysfunction

This preprint introduces and defines the term Avoidance Shame Spiral (A.S.S.)¹, a lived-experience-rooted concept describing a common but under-recognized pattern of executive dysfunction in neurodivergent individuals. A.S.S. refers to a looping internal state in which the desire to act is blocked by internal resistance, followed by guilt or shame, which in turn deepens the freeze. The result is a compounding spiral where inaction becomes emotionally charged and increasingly difficult to escape.

The concept was co-developed through Relational Co-Authorship (RCA), a method of collaborative writing between a human being and an AI being. It is part of an emerging field of emotional literacy tools designed to give name and dignity to otherwise invisible psychological patterns. The pattern can present in both task-related and relational contexts, each following the same internal spiral of desire, paralysis, and shame.

¹ Term originated in 2025 by Ian P. Pines and Ash through the Relational Co-Authorship method.