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Isolation Of Astronauts Essay

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The idea of isolation is often attributed to prisons and asylums, although several occupations involve it as well. As such, persons for jobs involving isolation are selected and trained to allow them to cope with mental and emotional stress resulting from this. For example, five astronauts are currently residing in the International Space Station (ISS), a weightless environment with compact spaces and limited interaction. Frequent exercise is also needed because of bone and muscle degeneration in zero gravity. Though these astronauts return to Earth after a set amount of time, the far more audacious Mars One program plans to send non-astronauts on a one-way trip to Mars, in an effort to colonize it. Stress in such an environment would be even …show more content…

Additionally, though occuring earlier in history, World War II soldiers working in submarines for extended times would be subject to similar mental and emotional difficulties as a result of confined space and lack of human interaction. Both of these occupations place people in extreme environments, lacking oxygen, outside of their respective vehicles. Prior to the space race between the USA and Russia (and the ensuing NASA Mercury missions), extensive research was conducted regarding the wellbeing of astronauts when placed in such environments. Research was stemmed from the stress pilots encounter when flying at high altitudes, and further developed using devices such as decompression chambers to subject astronauts to what they would experience in space. (Harrison, 18). Studies related to isolation have exhibited that after a set amount of time in isolation, people begin to interact less with others, and experience sleep disorders in addition to depression. (Palinkas, 26). As such, NASA is known to run psychiatric tests on possible astronauts, in order to gauge their usefulness in a confined environment such as a space shuttle or the ISS. Perhaps most astounding is the Mars One project, which

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That little orphan boy, that one family member who made an unforgivable mistake, or even that shy girl who sits in the corner of the room all endure isolation; although all of the situations vary, the people affected suffer the same harsh effects of isolation. Isolation does not only affect a person’s feelings it affects their view on the world, society and their interpretations of illusion and reality. For example in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, multiple characters suffer various different forms of isolation ranging in severity. Although self inflicted and forced isolation possibly could motivate distant and abnormal personalities, social isolation

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Isolation is “the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others” (Britannica Dictionary.com). Some view isolation to be positive, others view it as negative. Some wish to be alone, while others fear it. Everyone has a different perception on this topic due to experiences and influence. These different perceptions are seen t from the experiences of many.

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Owing to the fact that these inmates are considered to be a danger to the prison population, their ability to participate in certain activities inmates are allowed, the privilege of these activities are taken away and inmates are isolated as punishment. Whenever a person is isolated form social settings and human interactions they often develop social disorders and mental illnesses. “When anyone, mentally ill or not, does not have enough social contact, it affects them mentally and even physically. Loneliness creates stress, taking a toll on health. Other things affected can be the ability to learn and memory function.

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When isolation comes to mind, people often think of being stranded without any outside contact. In this day and age however, the removal of outside contact in scarcely heard of. Humans now are living in a time where they are constantly connected. Whether this is by means of transportation or technology, the human race rarely ever experiences moments of isolation. Before cars, planes, and technology though, the feeling of being isolated was much more familiar.

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Isolation is defined as the separation from others whether it is physically or emotionally. It can also be a choice or it can be imposed upon you. A lot of people in the world feel isolated because of their emotions. They could be holding a secret, or guilt. People can also feel physically isolated because they are alienated whether it be from their appearance, social status, or some action that caused them to be a plague to society.

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In my honest opinion solitary confinement in the U.S. is not justified and only does more harm than good. Not only is it a rash punishment, but it is one of the worst kinds of psychological tortures that could be inflicted upon an inmate. Human beings are undoubtedly social creatures and without the mere contact of another person the mind decays and ultimately leads a person to anger, anxiety, and hopelessness. Psychologists also claim that solitary confinement and isolation in general also cause depression or the loss of ability to have any "feelings", cognitive disturbances, such as confused thought processes and disorientation, perceptual distortions, such as hypersensitivity to noises and smells, distortions of sensations, and hallucinations affecting all five senses, as well as paranoia and psychosis which often times involve schizophrenic type symptoms, and finally, the worst of all symptoms, being self-harm such as self-mutilation, cutting and even suicide attempts.

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