Solitude

Page issues
For other uses, see Solitude (disambiguation).
For solitude to facilate abuse, see Isolation to facilitate abuse.
"Social withdrawal" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Social isolation or Loneliness.

Solitude by Frederic Leighton

Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, i.e., lack of contact with people. It may stem from
bad relationships, loss of loved ones, deliberate choice, infectious disease, mental
disorders, neurological disorders or circumstances of employment or situation (see castaway).
Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think or rest without being
disturbed. It may be desired for the sake of privacy.
A distinction has been made between solitude and loneliness. In this sense, these two words
refer, respectively, to the joy and the pain of being alone.[1][2][3][4]
Contents

Health effectsEdit
Symptoms from complete isolation, called sensory deprivation, often include anxiety,
sensory illusions, or even distortions of time and perception. However, this is the case when
there is no stimulation of the sensory systemsat all, and not only lack of contact with people.
Thus, by having other things to keep one's mind busy, this is avoided.[5]
Still, long-term solitude is often seen as undesirable, causing loneliness or reclusion resulting
from inability to establish relationships. Furthermore, it might even lead to clinical
depression. However, for some people, solitude is not depressing. Still others (e.g. monks)
regard long-term solitude as a means of spiritual enlightenment. Indeed, marooned people
have been left in solitude for years without any report of psychological symptoms
afterwards.[citation needed]
Enforced loneliness (solitary confinement) has been a punishment method throughout history.
It is often considered a form of torture. In contrast, some psychological conditions (such
as schizophrenia[6] and schizoid personality disorder) are strongly linked to a tendency to
seek solitude. In animal experiments, solitude has been shown to cause psychosis.[dubious –
discuss]
Emotional isolation is a state of isolation where one has a well-functioning social network but
still feels emotionally separated from others.[citation needed]
In the last few years, however, researchers like Robert J. Coplan and Julie C. Bowker have
bucked the trend that solitary practices and solitude are inherently dysfunctional and
undesirable. In their groundbreaking work The Handbook of Solitude, the authors note how
solitude can allow for enhancements in self-esteem, generates clarity, and can be highly
therapeutic.[7] In the edited work, Coplan and Bowker invite not only fellow psychology
colleagues to chime in on this issue, but they also invite a variety of other faculty from
different disciplines to address the issue. Arguably the most interesting of these alternative
views comes from Fong's chapter on how solitude is more than just a personal trajectory for
one to take inventory on life; it also yields a variety of important sociological cues that allow
the protagonist to navigate through society, even highly politicized societies.[8] In the
process, political prisoners in solitary confinement were examined to see how they concluded
their views on society. Thus Fong, Coplan, and Bowker conclude that a person's experienced
solitude generates immanent and personal content as well as collective and sociological
content, depending on context.
Psychological effectsEdit

Breslover Hasid practicing hitbodedut.

There are both positive and negative psychological effects of solitude. Much of the time,
these effects and the longevity is determined by the amount of time a person spends
in isolation.[9] The positive effects can range anywhere from more freedom to
increased spirituality,[10] while the negative effects are socially depriving and may trigger the
onset of mental illness.[11] While positive solitude is often desired, negative solitude is often
involuntary or undesired at the time it occurs.[12]
Positive effectsEdit
There are many benefits to spending time alone. Freedom is considered to be one of the
benefits of solitude; the constraints of others will not have any effect on a person who is
spending time in solitude, therefore giving the person more latitude in their actions. With
increased freedom, a person’s choices are less likely to be affected by exchanges with
others.[10]
A person's creativity can be sparked when given freedom. Solitude can increase freedom and
moreover, freedom from distractions has the potential to spark creativity. In 1994,
psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi found that adolescents who cannot bear to be alone
often stop enhancing creative talents.[10]
Another proven benefit to time given in solitude is the development of self. When a person
spends time in solitude from others, they may experience changes to their self-concept. This
can also help a person to form or discover their identity without any outside distractions.
Solitude also provides time for contemplation, growth in personal spirituality, and self-
examination. In these situations, loneliness can be avoided as long as the person in solitude
knows that they have meaningful relations with others.[10]
Negative effectsEdit
Too much solitude is not always considered beneficial. Many of the negative effects have
been observed in prisoners. Often, prisoners spend extensive time in solitude, where their
behavior may worsen.[11] Solitude can trigger physiological responses that increase health
risks.[13]
Negative effects of solitude may also depend on age. Elementary age school children who
experience frequent solitude may react negatively.[14] This is largely because, often, solitude
at this age is not something chosen by the child. Solitude in elementary-age children may
occur when they are unsure of how to interact socially with others so they prefer to be alone,
causing shyness or social rejection.
While teenagers are more likely to feel lonely or unhappy when not around others, they are
also more likely to have a more enjoyable experience with others if they have had time alone
first. However, teenagers who frequently spend time alone do not have as good a global
adjustment as those who balance their time of solitude with their social time.[14]
Other usesEdit
As pleasureEdit

Howard Pyle's 19th century illustration of a marooned pirate.

Solitude does not necessarily entail feelings of loneliness, and in fact may, for those who
choose it with deliberate intent, be one's sole source of genuine pleasure. For example, in
religious contexts, some saints preferred silence and found immense pleasure in their
perceived uniformity with God. Solitude is a state that can be positively modified utilizing it
for prayer allowing to "be alone with ourselves and with God, to put ourselves in listening to
his will, but also of what moves in our hearts, let purify our relationships; solitude and silence
thus become spaces inhabited by God, and ability to recover ourselves and grow in humanity.
"[15] The Catholic devotion of the Holy Rosary includes the most beautiful prayers to
meditate in solitude the mysteries of Jesus and Virgin Mary's life, feeling in Their company;
it’s a devotion to which is associated the divine grace and that causes an effective change of
the emotional and spiritual state.[citation needed]
The Buddha attained enlightenment through uses of meditation, deprived of sensory input,
bodily necessities, and external desires, including social interaction. The context of solitude is
attainment of pleasure from within, but this does not necessitate complete detachment from
the external world.

Solitude and the Sea, a theme by Jacques Bodin

This is well demonstrated in the writings of Edward Abbey with particular regard to Desert
Solitairewhere solitude focused only on isolation from other people allows for a more
complete connection to the external world, as in the absence of human interaction the natural
world itself takes on the role of the companion. In this context, the individual seeking
solitude does so not strictly for personal gain or introspection, though this is often an
unavoidable outcome, but instead in an attempt to gain an understanding of the natural world
as entirely removed from the human perspective as possible, a state of mind much more
readily attained in the complete absence of outside human presence. In psychology,
introverted individuals may require spending time away from people to recharge. Those who
are simply socially apathetic might find it a pleasurable environment in which to occupy
oneself with solitary tasks.