A Qualitative Examination of the Experience of Self-Disconnection

Kristine Klussman*, Julia Langer, Nicola Curtin, Austin Lee Nichols

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

Research suggests that self-connection (i.e., an awareness of oneself, acceptance of that self, and alignment between oneself and one’s behaviors) is an important part of well-being, yetthere is scarce research on the experience of self-disconnection. The aim of this study was tounderstand the emotional experience of self-disconnection and the ways in which disconnectionemerges in people’s lives. We performed 20 semi-structured interviews of peoplewho self-identified as self-connected, using thematic analysis to analyze the data. Analysesrevealed that disconnection emerged consistent with the three components of self-connection.Additionally, participants described the experience of disconnection as resulting in severalnegative affective states, including sadness, fear, stress, confusion, anger, and darkness. Thisstudy revealed that even those who are self-connected identify and experience selfdisconnection.It highlights that disconnecting from the self manifests in specific ways thatrelate to self-connection and often brings about experiences of negative affect. In all, thesefindings highlight the importance of understanding self-disconnection and indicate potentialpathways for interventions aimed at improving people’s self-connection.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)555-572
Number of pages18
JournalHumanistic Psychologist
Volume49
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Disconnection
  • Dissociation
  • Emotions
  • Self-connection
  • Well-being

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