Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, i.e., lack of contact with people. It may stem from bad relationships, loss of loved ones, deliberate choice, infectious disease, mental disorders, neurological disorders or circumstances of employment or situation (see castaway).
Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think or rest without being disturbed. It may be desired for the sake of privacy.
Symptoms from complete isolation, called sensory deprivation, often include anxiety, sensory illusions, or even distortions of time and perception. However, this is the case when there is no stimulation of the sensory systems at all, and not only lack of contact with people. Thus, by having other things to keep one's mind busy, this is avoided.
Still, long-term solitude is often seen as undesirable, causing loneliness or reclusion resulting from inability to establish relationships. Furthermore, it might even lead to clinical depression. However, for some people, solitude is not depressing. Still others (e.g. monks) regard long-term solitude as a means of spiritual enlightenment. Indeed, marooned people have been left in solitude for years without any report of psychological symptoms afterwards.
Enforced loneliness (solitary confinement) has been a punishment method throughout history. It is often considered a form of torture. In contrast, some psychological conditions (such as schizophrenia and schizoid personality disorder) are strongly linked to a tendency to seek solitude. In animal experiments, solitude has been shown to cause psychosis.
There are both positive and negative psychological effects of solitude. Much of the time, these effects and the longevity is determined by the amount of time a person spends in isolation. The positive effects can range anywhere from more freedom to increased spirituality,  while the negative effects are socially depriving and may trigger the onset of mental illness. While positive solitude is often desired, negative solitude is often involuntary or undesired at the time it occurs.
There are many benefits to spending time alone. Freedom is considered to be one of the benefits of solitude; the constraints of others will not have any effect on a person who is spending time in solitude, therefore giving the person more of a scope to their actions. With increased freedom, a person’s choices are less likely to be affected by exchanges with others.
A person's creativity can be sparked when given freedom. Solitude can increase freedom and moreover, freedom from distractions has the potential to spark creativity. In 1994, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi found that adolescents who cannot bear to be alone often fall short of enhancing creative talents.
Another proven benefit to time given in solitude is the development of self. When a person spends time in solitude from others, they may experience changes to their self-concept. This can also help a person to form or discover their identity without any outside distractions. Solitude also provides time for contemplation, growth in personal spirituality, and self-examination. In these situations, loneliness can be avoided as long as the person in solitude knows that they have meaningful relations with others.
Too much solitude is not always considered beneficial. Many of the negative effects have been observed in prisoners. Often, prisoners spend much time in solitude, where their behavior may worsen.
Negative effects of solitude may also depend on age. Elementary age school children who experience frequent solitude may react negatively. This is largely because, often, solitude at this age is not something chosen by the child. Solitude in elementary age children may occur when they are unsure of how to interact socially with others so they prefer to be alone, causing shyness or social rejection.
While teenagers are more likely to feel lonely or unhappy when not around others, they are also more likely to have a more enjoyable experience with others if they have had time alone first. However, teenagers who frequently spend time alone don’t have as good of a global adjustment as those who balance their time of solitude with their social time.
Solitude does not necessarily entail feelings of loneliness. For example, in religious contexts, some saints preferred silence and found immense pleasure in their perceived uniformity with God. Buddha attained enlightenment through uses of meditation, deprived of sensory input, bodily necessities, and external desires, including social interaction. The context of solitude is attainment of pleasure from within, rather than seeking it in the external world. In psychology, introverted individuals may require spending time away from people to recharge. Those who are simply socially apathetic might find it a pleasurable environment in which to occupy oneself with solitary tasks.
Isolation in the form of solitary confinement is a punishment or precaution used in many countries throughout the world for prisoners accused of serious crimes, those who may be at risk in the prison population, those who may commit suicide, or those unable to participate in the prison population due to sickness or injury.
Psychiatric institutions may institute full or partial isolation for certain patients, particularly the violent or subversive, in order to address their particular needs and/or protect the rest of the recovering population from their influence.
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- “Our language has wisely sensed the two sides of being alone. It has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word solitude to express the glory of being alone.” Paul Tillich
- Alexander Pope. "Ode on Solitude".
- "The Difference Between Solitude and Loneliness". Singlescafe.net. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
- Cym (2011-03-02). "Effortless Flow: The Difference Between Solitude and Loneliness". Effortlessflow.blogspot.it. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
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- Maltsberger, J.T., M. Pompili and R. Tatarelli (2006), "Sandro Morselli: Schizophrenic Solitude, Suicide, and Psychotherapy", Suicide & Life Threatening Behavior, 36 (5): 591–600, doi:10.1521/suli.2006.36.5.591, PMID 17087638.
- Bartol, C.R., & Bartol, A.M. (1994). "Psychology and Law: Research and Application (2nd ed.)". CA: Brooks/Cole.: Pacific Grove.
- Long, Christopher R. and Averill, James R. “Solitude: An Exploration of the Benefits of Being Alone.” Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour 33:1 (2003): Web. 30 September 2011.
- Kupers, Terry A. “What To Do With the Survivors? Coping With the Long-Term Effects of Isolated Confinement”. Criminal Justice and Behavior 35.8 (2008): Web. 30 September 2011.
- "Solitude Experiences: Varieties, Settings, and Individual Differences". Sage Publications. 5 September 2002. Retrieved 28 November 2011. Unknown parameter
- Larson, Reed W. "The Emergence of Solitude as a Constructive Domain of Experience in Early Adolescence." Child Development 68 (1997): 80-93. EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6>.
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