What is social isolation and what are its effects, causes, symptoms, and treatment methods?
What will we learn about this topic?
- What is social isolation? And what are its types?
- What are the symptoms of social isolation?
- What are the causes of social isolation?
- What is the treatment for social isolation?
What is social isolation? And what are its types?
Social isolation is the complete or almost complete absence of communication from social relationships; That is, not mixing with people, a situation in which a person lacks a sense of belonging to society, and isolation is often involuntary, and social isolation can be a problem for anyone, regardless of their age, and tends to stay the majority of the time alone, avoiding others, unwillingness to communicate with them and not Forming relationships, and preferring to complete his daily life tasks alone without the help of those around him.
Solitude is different from loneliness; A person feels socially isolated, whether he is alone or in the presence of other people around him. Isolation is a decision that the individual makes of his own free will, regardless of the reasons for it. As for loneliness, it is often imposed on him; For example, if a person is lonely because of the distance of others from him, or he is traveling for example in a strange country, or he lives with family and friends but they do not give him attention and affection.
Isolation is of two types:
1. Positive isolation:
And it is the natural, useless solitude that we humans need from time to time, and what is meant here by solitude is being alone with ourselves for a few times to reconsider our calculations, reflect on the course of our days, arrange our priorities and think deeply before making critical decisions in our lives and such.
2. Negative isolation:
Which means staying away from people completely, not mixing with them, and avoiding being present in meetings and social events. Many studies have been conducted on social isolation, and Kamal reports their results:
The study says that nearly 40% of people feel isolated at some point in their lives, but few of them know the repercussions of isolation and its negative effects on their health and life.
As for 60% of people who feel isolated, they are married people in origin, and the reason for this is the lack of emotional aspect and the lack of sharing feelings with the second partner.
The chance of losing a life for people with social isolation increases by up to 14%, which puts isolation and smoking on the same level.
What are the symptoms of social isolation?
In the following examples, I will talk about the symptoms that the patient may have:
1 . behavioral symptoms:
Social isolation can lead to abnormal behaviors, such as heavy smoking, alcoholism, substance abuse, or sitting for long hours on the Internet.
Avoid social gatherings, avoid meeting or interacting with people, and not participating in events or accepting invitations.
The person remains alone most of the time, without contact or contact with anyone.
Feeling of fear and anxiety while mingling with others, and trying to end any conversation with them as soon as possible.
2 . physical symptoms:
People with social isolation often suffer from physical symptoms such as headache, lethargy, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, and lack of activity.
3 . Psychological symptoms:
Social isolation may result in psychological disturbances, such as anxiety, depression, mood changes, thought wandering, suicidal tendencies, lack of self-confidence and others, boredom, and despair.
What are the negative effects of isolation on health?
Researchers have suggested that social isolation causes health complications. This is because it increases the chance of contracting various types of infections. Inflammation occurs when our body tells our immune system to release certain chemicals needed to fight infection or harm, and the same happens when we are under psychological or social stress.
The researchers found that people who tend to withdraw from society had elevated levels of two types of pro-inflammatory chemicals: C-reactive protein and fibrinogen. Where the first is used as an indicator of inflammation, and the second increases the chances of developing blood clots, which increases when we are exposed to injury or trauma, as exposure to high levels of these causes of inflammation leads to a risk of deteriorating health.
The Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom says: "Isolation is just as dangerous as diabetes in causing sudden death. Strong social connections are critical to a person's cognitive functioning, motor function, and the smooth functioning of the immune system."
The scientists also explained the possibility of an association between higher levels of inflammation and social isolation. that human evolution has transformed us into social beings; Therefore, isolation is likely to be a source of psychological stress, and this pressure affects the immune system.
What are the causes of social isolation?
Frankly, the reasons behind social isolation are not yet clearly known, but it is believed that they may be represented in the following examples:
1. Educational reasons:
The method of education greatly affects the children’s personality and lifestyle. Often, education based on violence and fear creates psychologically unhealthy people who suffer from low self-confidence and fear of the outside community. The result is often the tendency of these people to social isolation.
2. Age reasons:
For example, the physiological changes that occur in adolescence, and what accompanies this age stage of excessive sensitivity in evaluating matters and relationships, may be a reason for the reluctance to communicate with others and love isolation.
Also, global statistical estimates indicate that about a third to half of the elderly, aged 60 years and over, are exposed to feelings of loneliness and social isolation. And that after leaving work colleagues or the marriage of children or travel.
3. Business reasons:
When a person is not satisfied with his job and feels that it does not satisfy his ambitions and that his colleagues do not look like him, he begins to distance themselves from them and the work environment itself.
4. Health reasons:
Healthy isolation may be the result of a mental or physical health condition; such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, which may appear in the form of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the form of handshakes and communication, so its owners prefer not to deal with people for the sake of their health and safety from bacteria and diseases, and depression, which is one of the most prominent symptoms of isolation from people and introversion; There is also social phobia, in which the sufferer decides to isolate; Because of fear and anxiety about the judgments of others.
5. Environmental reasons:
When a person grows up in a closed and non-social environment, he gets used to isolation from childhood, and becomes more inclined and accustomed to it when he grows up, and the matter increases when one of the parents has the same quality.
6. Vanity and arrogance:
The arrogant person sees himself as always right, and others are wrong, and makes this obsession his principle of dealing, so he avoids sharing others opinions or discussing a subject, and it may reach the point where mixing with them becomes undesirable for him.
7. Social media:
Many people today tend to isolate themselves, preferring to spend their time browsing social media and connecting with virtual people they don't know, rather than real communication with those around them, relatives, and friends.
What is the treatment for social isolation?
The field experts suggested solutions to the problem of social isolation, most notably:
1. Self-confidence:
The causes of social isolation in some cases are attributed to a lack of self-confidence, a person’s view of himself, and comparing himself to others and believing that they are better than him; A person's inferior view of himself makes his communication with others a source of fatigue for him, and he tends to flee from it in isolation.
2. Good faith in people:
Some people, as a result of having failed relationships, or being disappointed by a friend or colleague, come to the wrong belief that all people are evil and should be retired from dealing with them, but this belief is wrong; Because life is full of good, loving and helpful people.
3. Acknowledging the problem:
The first steps in solving any problem; are recognized; That is, to admit that we suffer from a problem of social isolation, and to make a decision that we want to treat it.
4. Avoid social media:
Experts advise avoiding excessive use of social media, and using it consciously and in moderation; One of the results of social media addiction is the isolation in which a person enters without feeling, and communication through electronic devices becomes an alternative for him to communicate face to face with others.
A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine surveyed 7,000 people between the ages of 19 and 32, and the result of this study was that people who spend more time on social media are twice as likely to complain of social isolation, which can include A decrease in the sense of social belonging, a decline in communication with others, and in engaging in social relationships.
5. Positive:
Positivity is an effective way to break out of isolation. That is, to stop a person from negative thinking, and from believing that he is an antisocial person; Because this will increase his isolation and alienation from others; Therefore, he should make sure to think positively by enhancing his self-confidence, and believing that he can interact and get along with others and that he can become more social.
6. openness:
One of the most important steps in treating isolation is practicing openness to others, breaking the barrier of fear and shyness, and forcing ourselves to deal with others, by spending free time with loved ones from relatives or friends, and accepting invitations to attend a party or to have dinner with someone Colleagues, and completely stop making up insincere excuses for evading attendance.
7 . Meet new people:
For a person to get rid of his isolation and recover from it, he must take advantage of any opportunity to make new friends and expand his circle of social relations, by attending seminars and gatherings, and opening conversations with strangers, whom he does not know, whether on the bus, in the café, or on the plane.
To conclude this important topic, "10 minutes a day of social isolation does no harm":
As mentioned, there is positive solitude that we all need to facilitate our lives; the best thing is to take time out of our day to sit with ourselves, relax and focus on and develop ourselves, and reconsider our personal lives, our goals, and our work, and this time-space should be sacred in our daily lives, even if It was only for 10 minutes, but care and full awareness must be given not to fall into the trap of social isolation, no matter what happens to us in life, we must never decide to isolate from people and be alone; Because we have entered into an endless maze of psychological ills.
I hope that this article is useful to you all and that you are in your best condition
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