Men who avoid emotional closeness sometimes explain it as introversion, and the misidentification can delay treatment for years. Introversion is a preference for less social stimulation. Intimacy avoidance is a defense against emotional exposure. An introverted man can maintain deeply connected, emotionally transparent relationships with a small number of people. A man with intimacy avoidance keeps even his closest relationships at arm's length. The distinction is not about how many people someone spends time with but about how much of himself he allows those people to see.
For men near Delray Beach, Florida who are uncertain whether their tendency toward solitude is preference or protection, working with a therapist who specializes in fear of intimacy can help clarify the difference. Dr. David Steinbok's practice provides the kind of sustained relational work that makes this distinction visible over time rather than through a checklist or a single assessment session.
