2 key reasons why people run away from reality

Escaping from the realities of life: a mental disorder or a way to overcome difficulties?

Surely you think that illusions and fantasies are largely the lot of children. Yes, children really often immerse themselves in the world of their dreams, losing touch with the real world.

But it’s not only children who are prone to this behavior. Very often adults, and even very successful people, behave like children. Outwardly, they do not stand out from society in any way, but what happens on the edge of their subconscious often does not correspond to reality.

Statistics say that every third person tends to run away from reality and spend part of their time in the fictional world of illusions and fantasies.

It turns out that such escape has a scientific designation, which is called escapism.

Escapism is a term that came to us from abroad, which is widely used in pedagogy, psychology and even psychiatry. It means a person’s desire to “leave” the real world, to escape from reality and plunge into his illusory world.

Despite the fact that escapism is used in psychiatry and psychology, this term has nothing to do with the state of mental disorder. It is not used to refer to a disease.

But it is used quite often as a synonym for escape from reality.

Please note: escapism and escapism are very similar concepts, but there are slight differences between them. Escape from reality assumes that the phenomenon is short-term in nature, and escapism does not exclude that the “escape” from reality will take place over a long period of time. But since it is not easy to define a period of escapism, the term escapism is often applied to all cases.

So what is escapism if not a psychological or mental disorder?

I think you know that every person has certain self-defense mechanisms. In other words, barriers that help resist the blows of fate and protect the nervous system.

So escapism or escape from reality is also a kind of self-preservation mechanism that turns on when it becomes difficult for a person to accept the world around him.

Let's say a person works a lot, rests little and rarely enjoys life. His nervous system is exhausted, from which he strives to find an outlet for himself - a fictional world in which he can escape from what is happening.

In this case, a person’s escapism manifests itself as a completely adequate reaction to an external stimulus that worries him.

This suggests that escaping reality is not a frightening fact at all, it is just a way to “unload” one’s own nervous system.

How to strengthen the nervous system so as not to get nervous over trifles?

Diagnosis of derealization

If you feel as if you are drunk, but have not drunk alcohol for a long time, then this may be a reason to consult a doctor. On the Internet you can find tests to determine realization and depersonalization, but it is important not so much to detect the disorder as to identify its causes. This is extremely important, because such conditions can accompany schizophrenia and other serious mental pathologies. Only an experienced specialist can determine an accurate diagnosis.

Diagnostics will include the following steps:

• studying the medical history, talking with the patient. Among the diagnostic methods, the most important in this situation is a survey, but it is also important to comprehensively study the patient’s medical history. A history of previous mental disorders or severe somatic illnesses, as well as cases of derealization among family members of the patient, will allow a more accurate determination of the cause of this condition;
• visual examination of the patient;
• application of clinical scales developed for psychodiagnostics of derealization and depersonalization. The most famous scale is the Nuller test. At its core, this scale is a list of symptoms of the disorder, differing in the characteristics of their manifestation. If any of them was noticed in the patient, then a mark is placed opposite it. The specialist then counts the number of such symptoms and assesses the severity of the patient;
• use of other methods of psychological research;
• conducting clinical studies, including x-rays and pharmacological tests. All these measures can help identify somatic diseases that can lead to the development of derealization, as well as reduce the likelihood of developing side effects from drug treatment in the future.

The specificity of symptoms, as well as the duration of their observation, deserves special attention. If the attack of derealization was isolated and short-lived, then the cause should be sought in overwork or nervous shock. Otherwise, the disorder may indicate more serious pathological processes in the body.

How escapism manifests itself: types and forms

A person can escape from reality in different ways: some withdraw into themselves, while others, on the contrary, try to be distracted by constantly being in a noisy society.

Depending on how escapism manifests itself in a person, several types of escapism are distinguished.

As for the forms of manifestation of escapism, they can be different. Most often, escape from reality manifests itself in the following:

• Watching movies, TV series.
• Listening to music.
• “Wasting time” on social networks.
• Passion for computer games.
• Shopaholism (the desire to bring more trash into the house).
• Frequent fantasies about the impossible.
• Sportsmanship.
• Workaholism.
• Passion for gambling.
• Tendency to extreme types of pastime.
• Drug use.
• Alcohol abuse.
• Withdrawal "into oneself."

Given the fact that escapism does not pose a direct threat to life, some of its manifestations have the opposite effect.

If dancing, sports or reading books are even useful, then drinking alcohol and drugs is life-threatening.

That is why it is important to identify the reasons for the appearance of escapism in a person’s life in order to be able to help him get out of this state.

Where is the exit

The situation seems hopeless. Fleeing from neuroses, we “escape” into another reality, so that at the exit from it we encounter the same neurosis, only in a more severe form. But it is impossible to refuse escapism - it provides at least some protection from stress, the level of which is constantly growing in the world around us. We just need to make the transition from the virtual distance to our world less painful. A good method for this is to consider our so-called real world as illusory as the one to which we escape. Perhaps then it will be possible to discern romance, beauty, magic in him - everything that we are looking for in the realm of fantasy.

Escapism is inherent in the behavior of many people who find themselves in a situation of real threat to health and life. They accept reality in all its details, except for one factor that they refuse to notice or acknowledge. After the accident at the nuclear power plant, many evacuated residents returned to the Chernobyl zone, and some did not leave their homes at all. They were told about the deadly effects of radiation on humans, and every day they observed the liquidators of the accident, dressed in protective suits. But they were convinced that what was happening did not concern them personally. And the fact that they carefully cleaned their houses, “washing away radiation,” and serenely rejoiced at the harvest and the size of the mushrooms, is not explained by illiteracy alone. Rather, it was a kind of self-hypnosis that protected the reality they had invented.

5 Famous Escapists

• The Roman Emperor Diocletian abdicated power in 305 and settled in Salona (present-day Croatia), where he peacefully grew cabbage.
• In 1891, the French artist Paul Gauguin, misunderstood in his homeland, went to Tahiti in search of solitude, only to find syphilis and an early death.
• Hollywood star Greta Garbo left cinema at the age of 35 and hid from the public. They say she wanted to remain young in the audience's memory.
• American billionaire Howard Hughes spent the last ten years of his life (by the way, he participated in the development of the Spruce Goose aircraft; the film “The Aviator” was based on his biography) spent locked up in his hotel in Las Vegas, fleeing from germs.
• In 1952, 28-year-old Frenchman Alain Bombard, leaving a promising career as a doctor, was the first to sail across the Atlantic on the Heretic inflatable boat.

Interesting fact. Oxford professor of philology John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1899-1973) is not only the founder of the fantasy genre, but also the largest theorist of escapism in the 20th century. In his essay “On Fairy Tales” he wrote:

It is no coincidence that it was Tolkien who gave rise to the movement of “role-players” - people who seriously take on the roles of elves and other heroes of The Lord of the Rings.

Options for the development of events: the consequences of escapism

Obviously, those people who run away from reality in order to experience more positive emotions or see other colors of life are not harming themselves in any way.
If only, of course, a person is aware of where real life ends and where fantasy begins. If a person loses this line and becomes more and more immersed in the illusory world, then after some time an absolute denial of reality awaits him. A person loses his mind and understanding of real time, completely goes into the world of desires, and not real events.

Later, such an attitude towards the world is fraught with the onset of protracted depression, which arises due to the fact that a person suddenly realizes that he lived as if in a dream, and in front of him is a real, sometimes harsh and unfair life.

It is necessary to get out of depression in such a situation, otherwise other, much more dire consequences are possible. Unfortunately, people who have been depressed for a long time often commit suicide.

To prevent this from happening, it is important to identify the cause of escapism in advance.

And if you can’t do this on your own, then it is much better to turn to a specialist - a psychotherapist who will help in solving this difficult situation.

A real-life example of when escapism needs to be treated.

I’ll tell you an example when escapism poses a real threat to a person. For example, I have never suffered from an increased desire to hide from reality. The only time I am prone to escapism is when my work schedule is too busy, when I am very mentally exhausted and need to “free up” space in my own head. Then I resort to my favorite pastime - watching TV series with a cup of fragrant tea and cookies.

It is absolutely obvious that escapism in this form does not bring anything negative, but on the contrary, it contributes to a kind of relaxation of the nervous system from life’s troubles.

But here’s another example: one of my friends grew up in a not very prosperous family. Her parents drank, and therefore, as she grew older, she began to avoid men and relationships with them in every possible way. And at one point she simply turned into a hermit who lives completely alone. Her problem was that she was afraid that her future husband would turn out to be an alcoholic and would torture both her and their future children.

In short, her childhood trauma developed into chronic escapism, which step by step led her into depression. A psychologist helped her cope with this situation. Now she is a happy wife and mother of two charming children.

Escapism: pros and cons

Despite the fact that frequent escapes from reality are dangerous for a person, let's find out what is more in them - good or bad?

Both the strengths and weaknesses of escapism have their own nuances. Therefore, here we can draw a simple conclusion: everything is good in moderation.

Escapism, as a way to escape and take a break from routine, is a good option only if it does not become chronic.

What is escapism? And how does it manifest itself?

Remember!

At first, if you fall back into your habits, forgive yourself for it. You should not scold, reproach and blame your personality; this will not lead to good things. Moving forward must happen gradually. Motivate yourself and praise for every correct step you take. Don't forget that a bad habit cannot be eradicated once and for all, it can only be extinguished. In this regard, we must strive to achieve the goal to the end. And as a result, you will become a new person who will subsequently be able to independently cope with their ailments.