Social Isolation and the effects
While exploring my Seeing Sociology: An Introduction text book, I was introduced to a topic which immediately piqued my interest: social isolation. Ferrante, the author of the book, uses module 3.2 to discuss the definition, effects and debates that surround both nature and nurture- as well as how they directly affect physically and social development. Through this, she explores social isolation and the effect it can have on young developing children. She provides the reader with case studies as examples, helping to further define some of the many ways in which one can be socially isolated, as well as the effects such neglect can have on one’s psyche. This topic initially interested me because, during my junior year in high school, I enrolled in a psychology course. I have often found that psychology and sociology have a tendency to go hand in hand. During my course, students were tasked with researching a specific case study. I chose the case of Genie, the wild child. Genie, who was born sometime within 1957, suffered through a severe case of neglect and social isolation. Often times, Genie would be strapped down to a child’s toilet and left alone in a room, with no social stimulation whatsoever. She suffered from …show more content…
Mohan states that “relative mortality [in heart patients] nearly tripled among those who had neither a partner nor a confidant, compared with those who had confidants…” (Mohan, 2013). For years, loneliness has been known to lead to poor health when compared with those who do not consider themselves segregated from their peers. Known related illnesses include higher blood pressure, heightened reactions to stress, and altered immune responses, all of which lead to higher mortality risks (Mohan,