Hundreds of inmates in the Pelican Bay maximum security prison were studied by psychologist Craig Haney. The findings, among several, was the glaring connection with prisoners that spent too much time in isolation. This can happen for several reasons: choice of an inmate to be in isolation, due to fear or not being able to fit in. A crucial one was when inmates are punished, further, with solitary confinement - which is the act of having an inmate stay inside of a cell,alone, with little or no human interaction. Spending upwards of 20 hours in that cell.
The inmates that spent too much time alone in isolation were found to have a toxic cocktail of chronic apathy, depression and despair. 80-90% of them were chronically and irrationally angry, confused and as we can expect, withdrawn socially, which only magnifies with continued isolation. It isn't a flip of a switch however. First, Isolation gives way to agitation, sometimes referred to "cabin fever. You know, that itch to get out of the house when you've been sick or a harsh winter or having been self quarantined when COVID was a wild fire. Next, after agitation comes hallucination. Anxiety. And in some cases, a psychological break down.
This just doesn't apply to prisoners. These rules or rather findings speak into our own lives. With our relationships, friendships and connection to the outside world. Your community. I'd venture to speculate, with a mix of educated observation, that the current political strategy is to divide us, to then force us into isolation. Eroding further our relationships, community and society. Well, this just isn’t the current strategy, its been over the last 8-10 years.
The take away here is: find meaningful connections and maintain them. Once per week or once per month. Be with other people. Go see family. Spend time with your spouse or partner without the kids or pets or obligations. Go work out with someone or go for a walk, Make a friend out of the person you see every morning at the drop off line or the pick up counter at the local coffee shop. Many of the woes we face adults is because we do not have valuable, meaningful connections with other adults. Our entire life before adulthood is spent with kids our own age in the same classes doing the same thing. Or group/team activities. Then adulthood arrives, careers and families and we feel utterly alone. Go. Find your tribe. Join a group even if its online. Connect and be with people. It will take away much of the anger, stress, anxiety, depression, despair and unpleasantness many of us fee.
Myself included.