Closure is a state of reduced communicative activity, characterized by a rejection of interpersonal interaction, an orientation towards one's own inner world: thoughts, images, experiences. Closed people prefer to spend time alone, avoid large companies and public speaking, do not show initiative. Closure can be a stable personality trait, a situational reaction, or a symptom of mental illness. For diagnostics, a conversation, questionnaires, projective tests are used. Treatment is carried out by methods of group and individual psychotherapy.
general characteristics
Closure characterizes the severity of a person's communication skills. It is the opposite of sociability, often rated as a negative quality. Closed people find it more difficult to make acquaintances, maintain friendly and business ties, and socialize. Children who tend to avoid social contacts often do not have time to master the school curriculum, intellectually lag behind their peers, and are more prone to aggression. The basis of this is a negative self-perception, exaggeration of possible failures, inhibition of activity.
It is widely believed that a lack of sociability is always experienced by a person as a serious problem. However, in practice, various options are possible. Closure is a cause for concern if it arose as a result of internal confrontation - fear, insecurity, lack of communication experience. Then the general orientation of the personality to relationships is preserved, but there is no courage or skill in order to become open, sociable.
Another option is when a person is closed and focused on the inner world - on emotions, fantasies, ideas. Closure does not burden him, life is interesting, filled with experiences. They say about such people that they know how to enjoy loneliness. They are happy to immerse themselves in reading books, watching movies, computer games. Many actively communicate in the virtual space - on thematic forums, chats. Such interaction does not require emotional involvement, the use of non-verbal means (facial expressions, gestures, intonations), therefore it is more attractive for closed personalities.
Relations between people are changeable, for successful socialization, the manifestation of both sociability and isolation is necessary. Openness, talkativeness help to establish contacts, to be realized in the professional sphere, informal interactions, such as friendship. Closure allows you to pay attention to the internal state, to protect yourself from ineffective and unpleasant communication, to recover faster after emotional, stressful loads.
Reasons for isolation
Closeness can be pronounced or insignificant, constant or periodic. Sometimes it becomes a temporary reaction to certain events and is successfully controlled by a person, in other cases it manifests itself continuously in all areas of life, combined with fears, aggressiveness, distrust. The characteristics of unsociableness, the degree of social maladjustment may be due to situational factors, psychological problems or mental illness.
situational closure
For most people, isolation is provoked only by certain situations. It is a conscious choice or arises unconsciously, but is purposefully supported by a person, helps him to function more efficiently - to avoid unnecessary tension, unpleasant emotions. The ability to limit sociability from time to time is a sign of plasticity, flexibility of the psyche. Possible reasons for situational closure:
- Absence of interlocutors. The person may seem withdrawn in unfamiliar or unfamiliar company. His silence is explained by the fact that the necessary level of trust in people has not yet been established, there is no clear understanding of the specifics of the conversation. Observation of what is happening is more active than direct conversation.
- Lack of interest in conversation. Closeness can occur when there is insufficient interest in the content of the conversation, its participants, or the situation as a whole. A person becomes silent when the conversation is boring, incomprehensible, or participation in it causes hostility. Detachment allows you to save energy, maintain a positive emotional mood.
- Depressed emotional state. In a state of sadness, sadness, apathy, a person does not feel the desire to talk. The reasons are varied - life failures, accumulated stress, daily stress loads. As soon as the mood rises, the former sociability returns.
- Fatigue. Interpersonal interaction is always a process of exchanging information and emotions. If a person gets tired, then the energy needed to maintain a conversation is not enough. There is a need to rest, recuperate. An example is silence after a working day, especially among people whose profession is related to communication.
- Preoccupation with thoughts. Sometimes a decrease in interest in the environment is the result of intense mental work. At the same time, attention is focused on the idea, problem, memories. Preoccupation with inner work manifests itself as detachment, closeness, absent-mindedness. An example is a scientist developing a new theory.
- role behavior. Some situations require restraint and modesty, demonstration of obedience, readiness for submission. The image of a closed person is a social role, the performance of which is most beneficial in the existing conditions. So, a child becomes secretive, whose parents often swear, showing aggression. "Quiet" behavior allows him to remain inconspicuous.
Psychological factors of isolation
Lack of sociability, shyness, secrecy may not be situational reactions, but persistent character traits that manifest themselves in uncomfortable situations or on a daily basis. The reasons for this behavior lie in previous experience, that is, they are explained by the type of upbringing, the conditions of training and professional activity, and the psychotraumatic situations that have occurred. Closure as a personality trait can be triggered by the following factors:
- Low communication skills. Closedness, lack of sociability can be based on an insufficiently developed skill of interpersonal interactions. Common causes are frequent illnesses, long hospital stays; physical defects that prevent the establishment of relationships; refusal to attend kindergarten, school. In these cases, the person is closed because he has no experience of positive communication.
- Fear of communication. The causes of this phobia are insecurity, unstable self-esteem. A person belittles his own qualities, does not believe that people can like him, be interesting. He is afraid of the possible negative consequences of communication - conflicts, criticism, condemnation or ridicule - therefore he prefers to remain unnoticed, does not show initiative.
- Negative relationship experience. The desire to be alone can manifest itself as a defensive reaction of the psyche. Insulation often develops after a traumatic relationship, avoiding re-betrayal, disappointment, shame or humiliation. For example, a teenager becomes withdrawn after a conflict situation with a group of peers or a woman after adultery.
- Features of education. Closed children grow up in families where parents do not develop the sociability and emotionality of the child. The reasons are high employment at work, lack of time for joint activities, emotional coldness of the mother. Another variant of destructive parenting is the frequent manifestation of parental aggression. The child constantly experiences fear, closes in order to protect.
- temperament properties. Sometimes, despite the sociability of parents and the positive experience of friendship, a person remains silent from childhood. This is due to the peculiarities of his temperament, namely, the properties of higher nervous activity. People with low mobility of nervous processes - phlegmatic, melancholic - find it difficult to get used to a new environment, activity, environment. Therefore, they prefer loneliness or communication in a narrow circle of friends.
Closeness can be a character trait or a symptom of an illness.
Closeness is a symptom of the disease
A persistent tendency to alienate from interaction with people is a manifestation of a mental disorder. Closure is based on a depressed emotional state, severe anxiety, fears, delusional ideas of persecution. Often patients are socially maladjusted - they do not go to work, do not have friends, they are fenced off from family members. Lack of communication, secrecy are characteristic of the following diseases:
- Depression. With depressive disorders, the emotional background decreases, motivational-volitional functions weaken. Patients feel constant sadness, lose interest in all areas of life, including communication. They spend most of their time in solitude, interpersonal contacts are painful, quickly exhausting. In severe apathetic depression, speech may be completely absent.
- Sociopathy. Antisocial personality disorder is a pathological change in character, characterized by ignoring social norms, lack of attachment, a tendency to aggression and illegal actions. The reasons for the taciturnity of sociopaths are suspicion, anger, misanthropy. Due to the lack of sympathy and close relationships, harm to others is possible.
- Schizoid psychopathy. With this characterological disorder, people become closed, unsociable, focused on inner experiences. Loneliness does not frighten them, there is a passion for their own thoughts, ideas, images. The behavior is original, eccentric. The creative orientation of the personality is typical - drawing pictures, creating music, unusual clothes.
- Anxious personality disorder. The disease is manifested by low self-esteem, constant anxiety, the desire for social isolation. Patients are extremely sensitive to the opinions of others, underestimate their ability to communicate, and therefore avoid contacts. The reasons for isolation are the fear of rejection, condemnation, humiliation from others. The disorder is formed at the age of 16-24 years, often provoked by a traumatic experience of communication with peers, high demands of parents in childhood, adolescence.
- Autism. The disease occurs as a result of disorders in the development of the brain, manifested by the absence of the need for social interaction, specific deviations in speech development and behavior. The main symptoms are the desire to avoid contact, extreme loneliness, stereotypical movements and actions. Perhaps the complete absence of speech, immersion in the world of their own experiences, incomprehensible to others. Patients may respond inadequately to external stimuli, to attempts to start a conversation.
- Schizophrenia. This mental disorder is endogenous - it develops as a result of certain internal changes in the brain. The reasons for the isolation of patients are a change in personality, a distortion of thinking. The holistic image of the “I” is destroyed, interests and motivations are weakening, autism is growing - a departure from external contacts to internal images, feelings, reasoning. Thinking disorders may include delusions - ideas that others want to harm. This also becomes the basis of stealth.
- Delusional disorder. The causes of the disease may vary, the key feature is the presence of systematized delirium, devoid of quirkiness. Patients become silent, closed, if such behavior corresponds to the theme of their disorder. So, with delusions of persecution, they sit at home all day long, close the doors, let no one in, do not talk to anyone.
Survey
Mild forms of isolation do not require special treatment and diagnosis; they are usually successfully compensated by volitional efforts and the organization of suitable living conditions. A psychological examination or an examination by a psychiatrist is necessary in cases where a person's secrecy seriously impedes his socialization: visiting an educational institution, place of work, official and informal meetings. To determine the severity of shyness and its causes, a group of methods is used:
- clinical conversation. When questioned, patients respond briefly, in monosyllables. Their speech is devoid of an emotional component, or it is dominated by anxiety, a negative attitude towards the examination. Severe mental disorders may be accompanied by a complete inability to establish contact, build a dialogue. Then obtaining clinical information is impossible without the participation of relatives or other accompanying persons.
- observation. Closure is expressed by the patient's behavior - his posture, gestures, facial expressions. Stiffness of movements, general physical tension are characteristic. The posture is often “closed”: arms crossed on the chest or on the abdomen, one leg rests on the other (the pelvic region is closed). Often as a "shield" patients use a bag, a folder with papers. Most of them look down or to the side during the conversation, eye contact is rarely established. Emotional reactions are outwardly manifested very weakly or absent altogether.
- Psychodiagnostic questionnaires. Special tests are used: “Assessment of the level of sociability” by V. F. Ryakhovsky, a method for diagnosing a communicative attitude by V. V. Boyko, “Personal differential” (NII named after Bekhterev). The results make it possible to evaluate communication skills, establish the causes of secrecy and taciturnity, help to distinguish situational isolation from psychological, pathological.
- Projective methods. Drawing methods and situations interpretation tests are used to identify mild forms of communication disorders that are not determined by conversation or observation. The data obtained indicate alienation, the preferred role of a person in a group (participant, outside observer). Additionally, the presence of shyness, low self-esteem, aggressiveness is established.
To diagnose the causes of isolation, psychological tests and questionnaires are used.
Treatment
Insularity, which hinders the socialization of a person and reduces the quality of life, requires correction. In severe mental illness, restoration of the communicative function is possible only with complex treatment, including drug therapy, psychotherapy, and rehabilitation. If communication difficulties are associated with characterological disorders or psychological problems, a good effect is provided by symptomatic assistance, represented by individual psychotherapy, group trainings, and purposeful creation of conditions that require the maintenance of a conversation.
Individual psychotherapy
Individual sessions allow you to experience positive communication. They are necessary at the initial stages of treatment - the psychotherapist creates the most optimal conditions for interpersonal contact, helps the patient open up, overcome fear, feel approval, support. After establishing a trusting relationship, a plan is developed to transfer the positive experience gained in a situation of communication with another person or group of people. Also, at individual therapy sessions, auto-training, visualization skills, relaxation, and positive thinking are taught.
Group trainings
Group psychotherapy is the most effective method of dealing with shyness and isolation. To develop sociability, communicative trainings are held, where patients play situations of various interactions - conflict, friendly, official. Feedback after the lesson allows you to share feelings, learn about the experiences of other participants. Additional methods of work are sessions of art therapy, dance therapy and other similar areas focused on developing the skill of self-acceptance, mastering non-verbal ways of communication.
Lifestyle Correction
For independent work, patients are recommended to purposefully create situations of communication - attend family dinners, cultural events, meetings with friends. It is worth finding a job that requires daily contact with different people, then situations of forced conversations will form a communication skill and a desire to communicate. At the initial stage, it may be necessary to work in parallel with a psychotherapist, use relaxation methods that reduce uncertainty or unwillingness to contact others.