Existential isolation as a correlate of clinical distress, beliefs about psychotherapy, and experiences with mental health treatment.

Constantino, Michael J.; Sommer, Robert; Goodwin, Brien J.; Coyne, Alice E.; Pinel, Elizabeth C.

doi:10.1037/int0000172

Cited by 36 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…These findings underscore the uniqueness of the existential isolation construct, as well as the importance of considering the varieties of isolation and belonging, and how they may manifest differently in groups and in individuals. In particular, people occupying a nonnormative group status appear at risk of heightened levels of existential isolation, which have deleterious psychological correlates (Constantino, Pinel, Park, 2019; Long et al, 2021). In the study that follows, we turn our attention to an additional hypothesized epistemic consequence of the existential isolation that comes with occupying a nonnormative group status: feelings of uncertainty about one’s own experiences and interpretations (Pinel, 2018).…”

Section: Discussion: Studies 1a and 1bmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeling out of (existential) place: Existential isolation and nonnormative group membership

Pinel

Helm

Yawger

et al. 2021

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

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Literature devoted to understanding the experiences of individuals who do not fit the cultural mold—those who belong to minority, stigmatized, or underrepresented groups—demonstrates that nonnormative status goes hand in hand with a range of negative outcomes. The current research considers a heretofore unstudied correlate of nonnormative status: existential isolation (the feeling of being alone in one’s subjective experience), which differs from feelings of interpersonal isolation (feeling alone with regard to the quantity or quality of one’s relationships). Normative, or mainstream, society may not acknowledge the experiences of those holding a nonnormative status, rendering such individuals at risk of developing heightened feelings of existential isolation. Across Studies 1a and 1b, we found consistently higher trait levels of existential isolation (but not interpersonal isolation) among people with a nonnormative group status than among their normative counterparts. This effect appeared whether we looked at nonnormativeness with regard to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, citizenship, native language, body weight, religious affiliation, or socioeconomic status. Study 2 highlights one correlate of the existential isolation that accompanies nonnormativeness: decreased certainty with respect to judgments of racism. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed, including addressing the correlational nature of this research and testing potential mechanisms to explain the link between nonnormative status and existential isolation.

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Section: Discussion: Studies 1a and 1bmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeling out of (existential) place: Existential isolation and nonnormative group membership

Pinel

Helm

Yawger

et al. 2021

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In particular, basic research could focus on highlighting the key markers of clinical characteristics, processes, or scenarios under which a psychotherapist should responsively draw upon a principle of change. As one example, existential isolation —which refers to the experience of feeling that no one will ever understand one’s perspective—is a social psychological construct that has lately become of interest to clinical psychologists as they seek to better understand the development, manifestation, and treatment of internalizing problems (e.g., Constantino et al, 2019; Pinel et al, 2015). More specifically, researchers have wondered whether patients may benefit from certain kinds of therapeutic strategies that are intended to foster greater connection (e.g., “I-sharing;” Pinel et al, 2015) when they show signs of existential isolation.…”

Section: Consensus In Psychotherapy Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consensus in psychotherapy: Are we there yet?

Gaines¹,

Goldfried²

2021

Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice

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In any maturing discipline, consensus is generally viewed as a valuable pursuit. Yet, in psychotherapy, one could argue that little such maturation has occurred despite the field being over 100 years old. The current article first reviews one perspective on consensus introduced in 1980, which focuses on the middle level of theoretical abstraction. Next, we present this conceptualization as a sought-after outcome for psychotherapy practice and research; review progress that has been made toward consensus thus far; and offer potential future directions to further move the discipline toward clinically meaningful consensus. We then outline a way to accelerate consensus by leveraging technologies that can augment intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary professional communication. We conclude by discussing the resulting implications for psychotherapy training. Public Health Significance StatementThis article outlines ways in which psychotherapy stakeholders can work toward building greater scientific consensus in the field. Most notably, we spotlight the as yet unfulfilled promise of practitioners and researchers operating clinically and empirically at a middle level of theoretical abstraction. We also outline technology-based strategies for fostering new lines of communication across, and rapprochement between, typically siloed areas of the discipline. Capitalizing on such efforts, the field may leave behind a history of division and usher in a new era of a more mature science that embodies an agreed-upon core knowledge base.

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“…The EIS correlates positively, but only moderately, with measures of interpersonal isolation, including loneliness ( r = .34) and alienation ( r = .32), attesting to the notion that it assesses a qualitatively different form of aloneness (Pinel et al., 2017). Recent research has also shown that existential isolation predicts psychological health outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, and stress, and that these relationships persist when controlling for interpersonal isolation (Constantino, Sommer, Goodwin, Coyne, & Pinel, 2019; Long, Pinel, Park, Costello, & Daily, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Existential isolation and the struggle for belief validation

Long

Pinel

Daily

et al. 2021

British J Social Psychol

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People exhibit a strong need for belief validation, which they meet by sharing reality with others. Here, we examine the hypothesis that existential isolation – feeling alone in one’s experiences – interferes with people’s ability to share reality and thus achieve validation for their beliefs. In Studies 1 and 2, participants read a scenario that presented a choice, rated the percent of their peers whom they thought would select each of the two options, and then reported their own choice and their certainty of it. Existential isolation was a significant negative predictor of expected agreement and certainty in both studies. Interpersonal isolation (i.e., loneliness) did not relate to either of these variables. Moreover, mediational analyses from Study 2 show that expected agreement mediated the relationship between existential isolation and certainty in the hypothesized manner: existential isolation predicted high levels of uncertainty because people high in existential isolation tended not to believe that others would make the same choice. In Study 3, existential isolation correlated negatively with expected agreement even after controlling for interpersonal isolation, self‐esteem, and depression. The findings attest to the epistemic implications of existential isolation and provide insight for future research.

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Existential isolation as a correlate of clinical distress, beliefs about psychotherapy, and experiences with mental health treatment.

Cited by 36 publications

References 24 publications

Feeling out of (existential) place: Existential isolation and nonnormative group membership

Feeling out of (existential) place: Existential isolation and nonnormative group membership

Consensus in psychotherapy: Are we there yet?

Existential isolation and the struggle for belief validation

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