A prisoner of one's own mind: Identifying and understanding existential isolation

Abstract

Although often treated as a singular construct, social isolation can assume an interpersonal or an existential form (Yalom, 1980). Here we develop an individual difference measure of existential isolation, or, isolation with regard to one's experience of reality (Pinel, Long, Landau, & Pyszczynski, 2004; Yalom, 1980). We detail the validation of the Existential Isolation Scale and provide evidence of its convergent, discriminant, and criterion validities (Studies 1 and 2). In addition, we show that levels of existential isolation remain stable over a two-week period (Study 3), but also change as expected among those primed with the construct (Study 3). In the discussion, we review research that further establishes the uniqueness of this construct and its relevance to understanding the causes and consequences associated with social isolation more broadly construed.

Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression and Suicidal Behavior in College Students: Conditional Indirect Effects of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Self-Compassion

“…In fact, self-compassion has been found to strengthen interpersonal functioning (Crocker & Canevello, 2008;Neff & Beretvas, 2012). Given that perceived social isolation, even existential isolation (Pinel, Long, Murdoch, & Helm, 2010;Yalom, 1980), is predictive of negative mental health outcomes and engagement in NSSI (Cacioppo & Hawkley, 2009;Wolff, Frazier, Esposito-Smythers, Burke, Sloan, & Spirito, 2013), addressing…”

Fostering selflessness through I-sharing

“…When Pinel and colleagues (2006) manipulated feelings of existential isolation in their participants, those who wrote about a time when they felt existentially isolated showed the strongest preference for an I-sharer over a Me-sharer. When participants wrote about time when they did not I-share with others, they experienced surges of existential isolation (Pinel, Long, Johnson, & Murdoch, 2015). Moreover, participants high in existential isolation respond particularly strongly to I-sharers.…”

“…Pinel and colleagues have intimated that I-sharing has this powerful effect because of its unique ability to make people who are otherwise existentially isolated feel existentially connected. Existential isolation refers to a fundamental separateness that exists between people with regard to experience (Pinel et al, 2004;Pinel, Long, Johnson, & Murdoch, 2015;Yalom, 1980). We cannot ever experience stimuli through another person's sense organs, nor can we interpret those stimuli using their higher level perceptual apparatuses.…”

“…In support of her argument, the more existentially connected people felt, the higher they scored on basic need satisfaction and egalitarianism. Moreover, basic need satisfaction mediated relation between existential isolation/connectedness and egalitarianism (Pinel, Long, Johnson, & Murdoch, 2015). Further support for the connection I-SHARING AND SELFLESSNESS 10 between I-sharing and prosocial outcomes comes from another correlational study in which participants rated how much they believed they experienced the world similarly (I-shared) with a person sitting next to them, and how much they thought they would help that individual (Huneke & Pinel, 2015).…”

Human like me: Evidence that I‐sharing humanizes the otherwise dehumanized

“…People cannot know first‐hand whether their state of consciousness overlaps with that of another person (Pinel, Long, Murdoch, & Helm, ; Yalom, ). As such, the belief that one has I‐shared with another person is always an inference.…”