Earlier quoted context omitted.
http://s3.neyer.me/homeless.txt
I would like to read more from your pen if it exists, please feel free to share more.
Marked down for that? Really? What's wrong with complimenting someone on their writing?
How extreme isolation warps the mind
31–40 of 143 posts
Re: How extreme isolation warps the mind
#32A psychological gem was dropped in the middle of the article: People in her circumstances have their world suddenly inverted, and there is nothing in the manner of their taking – no narrative of sacrifice, or enduring for a greater good – to help them derive meaning from it. They must somehow find meaning in their predicament – or mentally detach themselves from their day-to-day reality, which is a monumental task wh…
> you can be an affirmation of the strength of humankind.
Well, that gave me goosebumps.
Re: How extreme isolation warps the mind
#33"Since then, researchers have found that in darkness most people eventually adjust to a 48-hour cycle: 36 hours of activity followed by 12 hours of sleep. The reasons are still unclear"
This statement was interesting to me. I wonder if it resonates with anyone else on HN. My BF who works from home a lot can spend days/hours at home splitting his time between working (programming) and playing video games. He has said a lot of times that the normal 24 hour cycle does not work from him. That he feels his body needs a 36 hour day followed by some hours of sleep.
After reading the aforementioned statement in the article, I wonder if it is because of he spends so much time indoors.
Re: How extreme isolation warps the mind
#34What's crazy is I knew a few people that had to do some time. They would try to get into solitary because they feared for their lives.
I can't imagine being so afraid for your own life that you are willing to endure the torture of isolation.
Re: How extreme isolation warps the mind
#35"Since then, researchers have found that in darkness most people eventually adjust to a 48-hour cycle: 36 hours of activity followed by 12 hours of sleep. The reasons are still unclear" This statement was interesting to me. I wonder if it resonates with anyone else on HN. My BF who works from home a lot can spend days/hours at home splitting his time between working (programming) and playing video games. He has said…
One alternative take on it is that being continually engrossed with what you're doing can often stave off biological needs like food and sleep.
When I was younger and would indulge in quite a lot of video games, there were nights where it would approach sunrise without feeling tired or hungry all night. Once I stopped to walk around I would feel myself get incredibly tired/hungry, but in the moment of being engrossed by an experience, it seemed to block everything out.
As for darkness specifically, I wonder how active the subjects in complete darkness were, and what kind of reduction of mental activity occurs when you are not constantly processing optical information. Both would seem to me to reduce metabolism and presumably the need for sleep to some degree.
Re: How extreme isolation warps the mind
#36This is more "extreme sensory deprivation is bad" rather than "extreme isolation is bad". There is lots of evidence of extreme social isolation having minimal impact on people's mental stability over long periods. It's not that we need people, it's that we need to be able to form our own narrative. We need to know what we're doing, why and what it's getting us. Extreme isolation of small groups seems much worse, espe…
Any examples of isolation of small groups? Sounds like it would make a fascinating case study.
Re: How extreme isolation warps the mind
#37There is a prisoner in the US Federal system who has been in solitary confinement for 27 years : http://www.peteearley.com/thomas-silverstein/ A court recently ruled that his conditions did not constitute a violation of the 8th amendment: http://solitarywatch.com/2013/09/25/federal-appeals-court-co... It is scary to think that while this article start out with an example of "almost 10,000 hours" in isolation as somet…
and the courts have upheld this treatment as legal Well, given his track record, what alternative is there?
The death penalty seems merciful by comparison.
Re: How extreme isolation warps the mind
#38There is a prisoner in the US Federal system who has been in solitary confinement for 27 years : http://www.peteearley.com/thomas-silverstein/ A court recently ruled that his conditions did not constitute a violation of the 8th amendment: http://solitarywatch.com/2013/09/25/federal-appeals-court-co... It is scary to think that while this article start out with an example of "almost 10,000 hours" in isolation as somet…
As an aside, he got very good at drawing since it's all he does.
Re: How extreme isolation warps the mind
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
http://s3.neyer.me/homeless.txt
I would like to read more from your pen if it exists, please feel free to share more.
markpneyer.me is a blog i've been updating. i wrote that thing years ago during the "feeling alienated and alone" phase; here's a link to some of the good stuff:
Re: How extreme isolation warps the mind
#40There is a prisoner in the US Federal system who has been in solitary confinement for 27 years : http://www.peteearley.com/thomas-silverstein/ A court recently ruled that his conditions did not constitute a violation of the 8th amendment: http://solitarywatch.com/2013/09/25/federal-appeals-court-co... It is scary to think that while this article start out with an example of "almost 10,000 hours" in isolation as somet…
and the courts have upheld this treatment as legal Well, given his track record, what alternative is there?
Well, they could probably turn off the lights from time to time. Night vision cameras aren't expensive compared to all of the other costs here...
"Thomas Silverstein has been locked under the tightest conditions in the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in total isolation since he murdered a correctional officer in 1983. The lights are kept on 24 hours a day in his cell."