Social isolation: strategies to identify, prevent and combat the phenomenon

Characteristics of the phenomenon
Guiding question:
“What are the characteristics that we can attribute to the
phenomenon of voluntary social isolation?”
Characteristic
Persistent withdrawal
Insecurity
Shyness
Social anxiety
Search for comfort
Avoidant behaviour
Description
Withdrawal from social participation for a period of more than
six months. This can include leaving home while avoiding
social interactions.
Feeling of inadequacy, low self-esteem and lack of confidence,
producing a sentiment of instability, uncertainty and anxiety
about personal goals and social relationships.
Feeling of discomfort in contexts of social interactions.
Fear of social situations and anxiety in social contexts, often
causing an impairment of functioning in daily life.
Creation of more predictable and controllable spaces (e.g.,
one’s own room), considered to be safer and less challenging
than the outside world.
Avoidance of interactions with other people, as a form of
self-protection from feared social situations, including
situations in which the individual could be asked by others
about their current state. External relationships with the
members of the social communities the person was part of
are usually cut off or limited to occasional virtual interactions.
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