[4] Passive–aggressive disorder may stem from a specific childhood stimulus[5] (e.g., alcohol/drug addicted parents, bullying, abuse) in an environment where it was not safe to express frustration or anger.
Martin Kantor suggests three areas that contribute to passive–aggressive anger in individuals: conflicts about dependency, control, and competition, and that a person may be termed passive–aggressive if they behave so to few people on most occasions.
For this psychiatric diagnosis a condition must meet the general criteria for personality disorder listed under F60 in the clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines.
[11] Any individual negativist may exhibit none or one of the following: Psychiatrist Kantor suggests a treatment approach using psychodynamic, supportive, cognitive, behavioral and interpersonal therapeutic methods.
[12] The first version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-I), in 1952, listed "passive–aggressive", "passive-dependent", and "aggressive" types together under "Passive–aggressive personality".
[13] The DSM-III-R stated in 1987 that Passive–aggressive disorder is typified by, among other things, "fail[ing] to do the laundry or to stock the kitchen with food because of procrastination and dawdling.