Coping In Solitary Confinement

Amazoniac

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Unfortunately there is no short version since I'm a functional illiterate. What I can comment is that people who are unwealthy might have experiences in common with prisoners because it often involves dealing with some degree of confinement and desolation (physical or psychological): isolation for not being able to leave the house, uncertainty about the future, impotence, hopelessness, loss of sense of community, also sensory deprivation, monotony, and so on. Feeling trapped in bad jobs, relationships, and places, can leave the person imprisoned as well, without much perspective on how to escape such situation. So I guess there are a few lessons to be learn'd from the extreme cases below.

- Coping Activities in Solitary Confinement of U.S. Navy POWs in Vietnam

"U.S. POWs in North Vietnam faced physical and psychological stresses not unlike those experienced by POWs from previous wars (Beebe, 1975): starvation, disease, inadequate shelter, lack of medical care (resulting in severe cases of diarrhea and parasitic infestations), and interrogations all combined to make the prison situation a traumatic experience. The POW’s clothes and personal effects were taken; he was not to talk unless spoken to; he was to bow to all guards and show proper respect; he could not communicate with other prisoners; he was told when to sleep and what to eat; physical torture was quite common, particularly during the period immediately after capture (Berg, 1974; Ballard, Note 1)."

"In addition to the usual POW stresses described above, the North Vietnamese also imposed a unique stress-solitary confinement.[3] Captain Howard Rutledge (1973a) described the experience most succinctly:

It’s hard to describe what solitary confinement can do to unnerve and defeat a man. You quickly tire of standing up or sitting down, sleeping or being awake. There are no books, no paper or pencils, no magazines or newspapers. The only colors you see are drab gray and dirty brown. Months or years may go by when you don’t see the sunrise or the moon, green grass or flowers. You are locked in, alone and silent in you filthy little cell breathing stale, rotten air and trying to keep your sanity. (p. 30)

According to Nardini (1952), himself a POW of the Japanese during World War II [two], a number of factors seemed to influence a POW’s survival favorably: a strong motivation to live, good general intelligence, emotional insensitivity or well-controlled and balanced sensitivity, a preserved sense of humor, controlled fantasy life, successful active or passive resistance to the captors (e.g., surreptitious acquiring of news, bribing of guards, smuggling news, letters, food, and medicines), and several years of prior military experience. Strassman, Thaler, and Schein (1956) reported that one major defensive adjustment of Korean War POWs to stress was withdrawal. Spaulding and Ford (1972), in a recent article concerned with repatriated U.S.S. Pueblo crew members, concluded that the men who best tolerated stress could be characterized as bright and schizoid, with the ability to isolate their affect and entertain themselves with fantasy. Memoirs of Vietnam RPWs have been published, describing the stresses and deprivations they experienced (cf. Gaither, 1973; Plumb, 1973; Risner, 1973; Rowan, 1973; Rutledge, 1973a). In reviewing this literature, it is evident that the RPWs considered isolation and inactivity to be among the most serious problems in captivity."

"A number of investigators (e.g., Brownfield, 1965; Lilly, 1956; Vernon & McGill, 1957) have studied the effects of experimental isolation and sensory deprivation on humans. The majority of these studies reported that at the end of isolation subjects felt a strong desire for stimuli, reported perceptual changes, confusion, difficulty in concentration, and demonstrated a greater change in attitude as a result of propaganda messages. Coping mechanisms in these situations have included self-stimulation techniques, such as humming aloud, or talking, successful directed thinking, problem solving, recitation, memory review, and planning for future actions (Zuckerman, 1964). However, as a basis for understanding the experiences of a POW, all of the above investigations suffer from a crucial methodological weakness-their inability to duplicate the “uncertainty” of release from the confinement situation, which is experienced in a POW camp. Furthermore, in laboratory studies of social isolation, the subject’s life is not endangered and he is not subject to torture and starvation."

"Although there appears to be considerable evidence from Western sources that isolation for an extended period leads to effects which would normally be considered pathological symptoms (e.g., hallucinations, delusions, the development of obsessive rituals, feelings of unreality), it would appear that as one becomes more familiar with the environment, one develops ways of coping (Suedfeld, 1969). Whether it is a shipwrecked sailor, a political or military prisoner, or a polar explorer, who has been plunged into isolation without much preparation, certain adaptive responses must be made if the individual is to survive. Various methods have been developed to cope with specific environments, and, as will be discussed later, the RPWs in particular developed interesting methods to “kill time” or structure their environment in order to preserve both their mental and physical health."

"The concept of stimulus-seeking behavior may be relevant to the understanding of the behavior of a POW attempting to cope with solitary confinement. Hebb (1955), in discussing stimulus-seeking, invoked the concept of homeostasis--a person tends to seek an optimal level of stimulation, and a marked deviation from this level produces an effort to bring the system back into balance. Therefore, as a result of the impoverished environment, the POW in solitary confinement might seek to increase sensory input through self-stimulation, fantasy, exercise, etc., and to develop coping responses intended to kill time."

"It was the purpose of the present study to investigate the time-killing activities or adaptational strategies used by Navy Vietnam War RPWs to cope with solitary confinement."

"A self-report Solitary Confinement Questionnaire was developed which included 27 time-killing activities."

"The items were derived from three sources: (a) a review of previous POW research, including books written by former Vietnam War POWs (e.g., Gaither, 1973; Plumb, 1973; and Rutledge, 1973a), (b) follow-up interviews with RPWs conducted one year after release, and (c) interviews with individuals who had been involved in RPW research for a number of years.[6] Space was also provided in the questionnaire for the RPW to list any activities not covered by the 27 items."

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"The results of the present study substantiated many of the findings concerning the characteristic personality of aviators. Typically, they are aggressive, assertive, energetic, action-oriented men, who rarely withdraw from the environment (Hall & Malone, 1974; Reinhardt, 1970; Fine & Hartman, Note 4). In a similar fashion, the RPWs seemed to be outwardly-directed and tended to cope with problem situations and emotional discomfort by devoting their efforts toward controlling, changing, or mastering the environment, rather than resorting to fantasy and other kinds of passive introspections. That is, activities associated with the Captor-Captive Relationship (Factor 1) were rated as most useful for coping with the solitary confinement situation."

"The RPWs attempted to stay one step ahead of the captor by anticipating his next move, and developing contingencies to meet new situations. The camp’s physical layout, the guard change schedule, and the captor’s idiosyncrasies were all objects of study, and enabled the RPWs to recognize the frequent fluctuations in the captor’s attitude (Naughton, 1975). Communication, with a factor loading of .56 on Factor 1, was rated by the RPWs as the single most useful activity during solitary (M usefulness = 4.58). Communication was of value in disseminating information from senior officers, recounting questions and impending events learned at interrogations, spreading names of new and old POWs for memorization, and passing along rumors, biographies, and jokes. Communications were generally transmitted via the tap-code, usually by tin cups as transducers to tap messages through solid walls. However, other quite ingenious methods were employed at times. Rutledge (1973a) described such communication efforts:

For short distances we tapped with fingers; for longer distances we tapped with the ball of the fist or elbows against the floor. Other legitimate noises were never wasted--a cough, a sniff, spitting, and/or clearing the throat were converted into simple communication efforts. One specially effective ruse was to sweep through a compound, ushg the broom movement to signal messages to the entire area. Or, if a man walked by another’s cell, he could drag his little Ho-Chi-Minh sandals in code. (p. 49)

"The prison camps maintained strict regulations against communication. This stipulation was enforced by guards roaming the halls. To be caught meant severe torture. Thus, the RPWs tended to be aggressive (particularly in dealing with their captors), while finding withdrawal inconsistent with their self-image. Factor 3 (rated by the men as the least useful activity during solitary) included a number of activities that could best be characterized as withdrawal. For example, Talking to Self, Pacing in Cell, Watching Insects, and Ritualistic Activity seemed to utilize behaviors of a passive nature. Talking to Self was rated as only somewhat more useful than Thinking About Suicide. Withdrawal as a time-killing activity may therefore have been regarded by the RPW as giving-up."

"Physical activity played a major rôle in the daily routine of the RPWs during solitary confinement, serving to satisfy both the need for activity and outside stimulation. Physical exercise was beneficial in maintaining strength and physical stamina, and was regarded by some RPWs as a competitive sport in which the goal was to do more sit-ups, push-ups, etc., than the next man (cf. Plumb, 1973)."

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"The results further indicated that coping activities used by the RFW during solitary confinement developed according to a definite time pattern. Initially, the RPW was concerned with the past (Factor 2), particularly his family, and spent the greater portion of his time thinking about its ability to adjust to his absence, and ruminating about his past experiences. Approximately 85% of the men reported using coping activities defining this factor by the end of the fourth week. The coping activities which developed later in solitary were Self-development (Factor 4); only 31% reported using these activities during the initial 4 weeks. Lack of an effective communication network probably played a major role in depressing the use of most of the activities within this factor. Without an effective and widespread communication network, Games, Learning New Skills, and Memorizing Stories were not possible. The occurrence of these self-development activities quite late in captivity is also consistent with a number of theories of motivation (e.g., Herzberg, Mausner, & Snyderman, 1959; Maslow, 1954). These theorists argue that certain minimum conditions must exist (e.g., the satisfaction of basic physiological and safety needs) prior to any concern for self-development. When the RPW became more familiar with his environment and some element of stability was present, his thinking possibly became more creative and self-development activities became viable. Thus, the use of self-development activities may be inversely related to (a) the degree of physical deprivation, and (b) the perceived stress level."

"Other theorists (e.g., Hebb, 1955; Lindsley, 1961) view the human being as an organism which needs a constant flow of stimulation to guide its behavior. Such a viewpoint would explain much of the coping behavior utilized by the RPWs. According to Heron (1957), it is the invariance and monotony of isolation that turns subjects to use internal stimuli (i.e., fantasy and hallucinations). Zubek (1963) demonstrated that physical exercise during isolation counteracted many of the negative effects of isolation; he further suggested that exercising may provide sufficient variability through kinesthetic and proprioceptive stimulation to counteract most of the effects of unvarying stimulation from the visual and auditory modalities. It will be recalled that Physical Exercise was reported to be one of the most useful methods of time-killing for the RPW (Table 1). The above theoretical viewpoints predict that the novelty, uncertainty, stimulus reduction, and anxiety of solitary living would evoke a high level of arousal and initiate a search for stimulation and information, leading to the coping activities actually used by the RPWs."

"We do not know to what extent the patterns of coping and their evaluation by the RPW in North Vietnam were unique to their special situation, or to this special group, or if it can be generalized to others who are also exposed to solitary confinement. For example, how would prisoners in jails react? Or people in similar or analogous situations? Previous literature, particularly anecdotal reports (Bombard, 1953; Bone, 1957; Burney, 1961), indicated that individuals placed in a restricted environment, such as solitary confinement, require a certain degree of stimulation in order to maintain both physical and mental health. When such stimuli are not present in the environment, most will seek out sources of input or provide stimulation through self-manipulations, hallucinations, ritualistic, repetitive, and stereotyped gestures. Coping behaviors reported in these anecdotal cases were not substantially different from the adaptational responses manifested by the RPWs."

"However! Other studies have indicated that similar coping behaviors do not always occur during confinement situations. For example, Scott et al. (1969) found that the theory of optimal sensory input does not apply to the prison environment. In effect, these authors found that the greater the degree of social deprivation, the greater the withdrawal, supporting the Input-Output theory referred to earlier. Taylor (1961) refers to this apathy in prison as “stir crazy.” In prison life, boredom generates boredom, quite unlike the behavior manifested by the action-oriented RPW. A decrease in stimulus input in the case of the prison inmate results in mental sluggishness, a disinclination to learn, and a correlated drop in planning, motivation, and physical activity. This is not to be interpreted as an indication that the prisoner is not adapting to his environment; rather, the prison inmate may be relying heavily on internally generated information."

"How can one account for such obvious differences between the coping behaviors of RPWs and civilian prisoners? Although subjects in both groups may have encountered similar experiences and environments (i.e., loss of individual freedom, loss of communication, loss of possessions, and loss of family relationships due to confinement by an “enemy” authority), a number of factors limit the comparability of the two situations. First, the prison inmates understood that they would be released within a certain prescribed period, or at least, after a finite period of time. Second, their lives were not endangered, and the likelihood of physical abuse and nutritional deprivation was limited. Demographic characteristics are likely to be very different in the two groups: the RPWs are highly trained and educated, from a middle to upper middle class background, and ethnically were mainly white Protestants. Many of the above characteristics would likely be at the opposite pole from those of prison inmates."

"The attitudes of the two groups differ as well: The RPWs considered themselves to be defenders of their country’s freedom, and were still “at war” while imprisoned. Prison inmates, on the other hand, have both rejected society’s “code” and have been forcibly removed from that society. Scott et al. (1969) pointed out that the deprived inmate cannot adjust to a sudden release into free society because his mental and emotional mechanisms are adjusted to the deprivation circumstances. According to the authors, anxiety, restlessness, sleeplessness, and irritability become so great in the released ex-inmate that he may seek means to return to prison with its retarded input and routine existence. Walters, Callagan, and Newman (1963) investigated the effects of social isolation using a group of long-term prison inmates as subjects. The results indicated that, compared to the control subjects, the prisoners rated such concepts as “solitude” more positively and “society” more negatively than did the controls."

"The present study may also have relevance to nonmilitary personnel and situations. The data suggest that future programs involving adaptation to a restricted sensory environment (e.g., remote scientific outposts, satellite space stations, lunar colonies, and the like) should pay closer attention to the effects of physical exercise, communication, and knowledge of the duration of confinement. The results of the present study confirm others (e.g., Zubek, 1963) in noting that physical exercise has a facilitating effect in counteracting many of the effects of isolation. The loss of communication and information about outside events are important influences on the functioning of isolated groups (Bums & Gifford, Note 5). The effects of deprivation of such information on microsocieties, such as a space team on a lengthy voyage to another planet, are likely to be great. Finally, knowledge as to the expected duration of confinement has already been demonstrated to be a significant factor in the ability of subjects to tolerate isolation (Francis, 1964) and probably assists the subject in a form of “self-pacing.” Legal authorities appear to recognize this fact, since most prison terms are prescribed for a definite period of time. Thinking about the future, rated by the RPWs as one of the most useful activities, reflects this need to have information regarding the duration of confinement. Thus, it would seem of necessity that any future programs dealing with periods of isolation structure such a program to allow adequate periods of exercise, communication with outside sources, and a definite knowledge of the limits of the isolation experience."

"It appears, too, that isolation may have a striking impact on patients with mental disorders. In certain cases, this may have beneficial consequences (see Suedfeld, 1975 for a thorough review). Current work in therapeutic applications of sensory deprivation has concentrated on helping people who want to stop smoking cigarettes (Suedfeld, 1973), treatment of snake phobia (Suedfeld & Buchanan, 1974), treatment of anorexia nervosa (Lobb & Schaeffer, 1971), and improved speech among isolated stutterers (Svab, Gross, & Langova, 1972)."

"[..]most of the men in this study remained in the Navy (all but seven of the men were still on active duty at the time they responded to the questionnaire). As a consequence, one must ask whether the men reported (or failed to report) activities which would cast them in a favorable (or unfavorable) light vis-a-vis their continued retention in the service. Indeed, there may have been distortions in the data, particularly in the direction of a higher rating of the value of positively associated activities (e.g., Observation of Captor’s Behavior, Matching Wits with Captor), and a lower rating of the value reported for negatively associated activities (e.g., Suicide, and Talking to Self). However, for most of the items in the questionnaire, it would seem unlikely that the men would interpret their responses as having any bearing on their future career in the military."

"Perhaps, the experience of being a POW, imprisoned in solitary confinement for great lengths of time, may have altered many men’s basic values in life. A man in solitary has the opportunity to learn a great deal about himself and to consider which things are worthwhile in life. Solitary confinement, then, may have set the stage for significant positive personality and behavioral changes for the RPWs and may be a factor of some importance in their current value patterns (e.g., Rutledge, 1973b)."​

This post was sponsored by the Supreme Lean Bulk program. You'll be insured (without extra costs) in the form of counseling sessions and therapy in case you develop ILS before getting the desired results. However regardless of payment, I truly believe that the benefit from increasing muscle mass is worth the risk of not being able to fit through doors.
 
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gaze

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I asked ray one time about the tendency towards fantasy and "neurotic" imagination., as I had thought it was mainly a negative trait, given that it is probsbly a serotonin fueled initiative. However, Ray seemed to think it may be a positive trait, as he responded by saying he thinks that the arousal happens because the mind is envisioning a better reality for itself, and that painting or writing during aroused moments can help find its meaning. thinking about this in the context of isolation, and the overall perspective that serotonin is "defensive", I think it makes sense that self mental stimulation, fantasy, the schizophrenic tendencies are the ultimate defense against learned helplessness during stress or isolation because it foresees a better life somewhere else, in order to keep the organism hopeful and enduring. certainly those tendencies would be better than staring at the wall like a malfunctioning robot, before the mind just gives up
 
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Amazoniac

Amazoniac

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I asked ray one time about the tendency towards fantasy and "neurotic" imagination., as I had thought it was mainly a negative trait, given that it is probsbly a serotonin fueled initiative. However, Ray seemed to think it may be a positive trait, as he responded by saying he thinks that the arousal happens because the mind is envisioning a better reality for itself, and that painting or writing during aroused moments can help find its meaning. thinking about this in the context of isolation, and the overall perspective that serotonin is "defensive", I think it makes sense that self mental stimulation, fantasy, the schizophrenic tendencies are the ultimate defense against learned helplessness during stress or isolation because it foresees a better life somewhere else, in order to keep the organism hopeful and enduring. certainly those tendencies would be better than staring at the wall like a malfunctioning robot, before the mind just gives up
 

Cloudhands

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Thanks so much @Amazoniac i think this makes it easier to understand some people in my life who behave maniacly and eccentricly who are also probably lonely and coping, including myself. I think its important to understand that almost any behavior an organism facilitates is an attempt to cope with any stress or trauma that they could potentially have to deal with, and this could help us empathize with these people, and maybe be inspired by their crazy behaviors rather than ridicule and criticize them.
 
Joined
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Thanks so much @Amazoniac i think this makes it easier to understand some people in my life who behave maniacly and eccentricly who are also probably lonely and coping, including myself. I think its important to understand that almost any behavior an organism facilitates is an attempt to cope with any stress or trauma that they could potentially have to deal with, and this could help us empathize with these people, and maybe be inspired by their crazy behaviors rather than ridicule and criticize them.
I definitely see your point.
 

ThinPicking

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Thanks so much @Amazoniac i think this makes it easier to understand some people in my life who behave maniacly and eccentricly who are also probably lonely and coping, including myself. I think its important to understand that almost any behavior an organism facilitates is an attempt to cope with any stress or trauma that they could potentially have to deal with, and this could help us empathize with these people, and maybe be inspired by their crazy behaviors rather than ridicule and criticize them.
+1 and bump.

And what could be considered "unwealthy" has probably changed considerably since 2019.
 

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