Escapism is a phenomenon that represents the individual’s isolated and conciliatory tendency to slip away into an illusory universe, hiding from reality. Simply put, the phenomenon under consideration, escapism, lies in the desire of a human subject or part of a social association to move away from the generally accepted model of social life. The basis of escapism is uncertainty about the reasonableness of generally established norms that form the basis of the ideas of society. The result is a critical rethinking of such norms. For the phenomenon of escapism to arise, it is necessary for society to reach the peak level of its own development, at which social disadaptation and detachment from society do not lead to death, as in primitive society, when ostracism was often chosen as a punishment for offenses and criminal acts.
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?
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.
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.
| Types of escapism | Description |
| Active | A person is distracted from the outside world in active ways: he is interested in dancing, sports, work and other energy-consuming activities. |
| Passive | A person withdraws into himself, and his withdrawal from reality manifests itself in alienation from other people. He reads, watches movies, is always at home or alone. |
| Physical | A person literally “runs away”: he leaves the metropolis, goes to the mountains, remote villages, etc. |
| Psychological | Direct alienation does not occur with a person, he does not leave or change his place of residence, he simply withdraws into himself and spends time alone. |
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.
Literature:
- Drug and alcohol addiction: a practical guide to the rehabilitation of children and adolescents / S. B. Vaisov. - St. Petersburg: Science and Technology, 2008. - 268 p.
- Deviant behavior of children and adolescents / L. B. Shneider. — Moscow: Trixta: Acad. Project, 2005. - 334 p.
- Psychology of addictive behavior: textbook. manual: for students majoring in Psychology / N. N. Mehtikhanova; Ministry of Education and Science of Russia. Federation, Feder. education agency Yarosl. state University named after P. G. Demidova. - Yaroslavl: YarSU, 2005 (Yaroslavl: Remder). — 123 p.
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.
Physical harm from VR
Headlines like “a gamer was injured (or died) while in VR” are typical for Japan and America. However, the Fontanka.ru portal recently reported the first death in St. Petersburg. During a VR attraction, the player became dizzy and fell unsuccessfully from his height.
Physical harm from virtual reality is disputed by reputable lawyers hired by the production companies or their advertising agents. Therefore, it is almost impossible to hold them accountable.
It has long been an established fact that VR causes motion sickness, dizziness and nausea - especially during its first use. The reason for this is the discrepancy in the load that our brain can perceive. The actions taking place in virtual reality contradict the physical state of the gamer at this moment. For example, according to the game, the user jumps into an abyss, the brain visually realizes this, but in real life the user stands still.
To avoid side effects from the use of virtual reality in VR helmets, the frame rate (screen refresh) and tracking are constantly being improved. Manufacturers also warn that at the first cases of nausea or dizziness, you need to urgently take a break or completely abandon further play.
Be careful, eyesight!
The research in Osaka ended in 2021. According to the results of this study, manufacturers of VR helmets around the world stated that new generations of devices do not dull visual acuity.
However, according to the same studies, while immersed in virtual reality, a gamer may experience astigmatism. The reason for this is that the user's eyes become accustomed to looking at one specific distance in VR (the screen is in the same place). When removing the VR helmet, the user, looking at real objects, discovers that they are at different distances, as a result of which the eyes have to strain.
Epilepsy
No matter how the screens are improved, no matter how many pixels are put into the picture, the images of VR glasses and VR helmets flicker. This contributes to the development of epilepsy. It is worth noting that manufacturers are investing a huge amount of money aimed at improving the safety of using virtual reality devices, but the risk will always be present.
To summarize, I would like to note that you should not abuse virtual reality. If you feel unwell or are taking medications, you should avoid spending the evening playing your favorite game. After all, by cutting off the head of another cannibal orc in virtual reality, you can cause physical harm to yourself and your loved ones in real life.
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?
| Advantages | Flaws |
| By resorting to escapism from time to time, a person maintains a kind of balance, a balance between real life events and spiritual peace. | By regularly escaping from reality, a person can easily get carried away and forget when he should have returned to reality. |
| Escapism often helps a person take his mind off the failures or frustrations of life, giving him the strength to start over. | Long-term escapism leads to depression, which is much more difficult to get out of than simply to stop running away from reality. |
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?
Biological component
The strategy of “postponing until later ,” so as not to feel the discomfort of having to make decisions or take any action, is the reason that we can remain in a terrible situation for years without daring to change it.
Why is this happening? As always, the reason is in our nature.
The human brain, this wonderful biological machine, wants with all its might to force us to save energy. Therefore, if something causes us discomfort, the brain will do everything to extinguish this feeling.
Hence the famous student crunch time , when, instead of preparing gradually over several weeks, a person sits down to study his textbooks on the last day. Many days of mild stress is replaced by the extreme stress of one night - but even this night of preparation might not have happened if the mind had not perceived the threat of expulsion as an even greater discomfort than the need for daily cramming without sleep.
The only thing that can make us pull our heads out of the sand and stop suffering is the prospect of more suffering.
This is the biological basis of the strategy of avoiding problems. This is one of the most indestructible mechanisms of our psyche.
What is nomophobia?
The word “nomophobia” (eng. nomophobia = phobia of not having a mobile phone) is familiar to few, but not to the phenomenon that it describes. This term refers to a strong fear of being without a mobile phone, accompanied by a whole range of unpleasant sensations when it is impossible to use it.
At the same time, this concept is not identical to the concept of “smartphone addiction”, because it is, first of all, an anxiety disorder, and not just an addiction to a smartphone. However, smartphone syndrome is undoubtedly characterized by signs of addiction. Currently, this disorder is not included in the official register of diseases and is not codified, which, however, does not diminish the seriousness of the problem.
