Solitude has had a bad name in our society, and in our psychology: it is often equated with isolation, loneliness, shyness, and social awkwardness. The Handbook discusses these, but abundantly treats the other side solitude that fosters insight, connection, creativity, introspection, healing, and enlightenment. This is a badly needed and broadly focused antidote for the negative approach, and its group of expert contributors provides a fuller understanding of a state people often experience, and sometimes need.
―Peter Suedfeld, Dean Emeritus of Graduate Studies and Professor Emeritus of Psychology, The University of British Columbia
This large volume is a veritable feast of information and perspectives on the important topic of solitude. Scholars from diverse sub-disciplines of psychology (e.g., developmental, clinical, social, neuroscience, cultural psychology) and varied disciplines (e.g., sociology, anthropology, political science, religious studies, computer science, biology) weigh in on this complex topic. Even the most knowledgeable reader will learn much about types and potential causes and outcomes of solitude and be exposed to new theoretical frameworks.
―Nancy Eisenberg, Regents Professor of Psychology, Arizona State University
The Editors
Robert J. Coplan is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University and Director of the Pickering Centre for Research in Human Development. Dr. Coplan is co-editor of Social Development in Childhood and Adolescence: A Contemporary Reader (Wiley Blackwell, 2011), and The Development of Shyness and Social Withdrawal (2010) and a former editor of the journal, Social Development.
Julie C. Bowker is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Her research program focuses on the roles that close interpersonal relationships play in socio-emotional development and psychopathology during late childhood and early adolescence.
From the Inside Flap
The Handbook of
SOLITUDE
Over the course of a lifespan, humans experience solitude for a wide variety of reasons and subjectively respond to seclusion with a wide range of reactions and consequences. The Handbook of Solitude: Psychological Perspectives on Social Isolation, Social Withdrawal, and Being Alone presents a comprehensive compilation of the most cutting edge psychological research related to the construct of solitude.
Featuring contributions from international experts in the field, readings explore aspects of solitary behavior from a myriad of psychological perspectives, including developmental, neuropsychological, social, personality, and clinical; during di erent developmental periods across the lifespan; and across a broad range of contexts, including various natural environments, college campuses, singlehood, meditation, and cyberspace. Other insights into solitude are garnered through extradisciplinary researchers in fields such as biology, anthropology, sociology, political science, religious studies, and philosophy. Innovative and illuminating, this Handbook represents the definitive treatment of the psychological concept of solitude as an area of study.
From the Back Cover
The Handbook of
SOLITUDE
Over the course of a lifespan, humans experience solitude for a wide variety of reasons and subjectively respond to seclusion with a wide range of reactions and consequences. The Handbook of Solitude: Psychological Perspectives on Social Isolation, Social Withdrawal, and Being Alone presents a comprehensive compilation of the most cutting edge psychological research related to the construct of solitude.
Featuring contributions from international experts in the field, readings explore aspects of solitary behavior from a myriad of psychological perspectives, including developmental, neuropsychological, social, personality, and clinical; during different developmental periods across the lifespan; and across a broad range of contexts, including various natural environments, college campuses, singlehood, meditation, and cyberspace. Other insights into solitude are garnered through extradisciplinary researchers in fields such as biology, anthropology, sociology, political science, religious studies, and philosophy. Innovative and illuminating, this Handbook represents the definitive treatment of the psychological concept of solitude as an area of study.
About the Author
The Editors
Robert J. Coplan is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University and Director of the Pickering Centre for Research in Human Development. Dr. Coplan is co-editor of Social Development in Childhood and Adolescence: A Contemporary Reader (Wiley Blackwell, 2011), and The Development of Shyness and Social Withdrawal (2010) and a former editor of the journal, Social Development.
Julie C. Bowker is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Her research program focuses on the roles that close interpersonal relationships play in socio-emotional development and psychopathology during late childhood and early adolescence.
