Intimacy and isolation are two different terms with two different meanings in psychology. On the other hand, people use these is all kinds of wrong contexts, making it seem as if they mean the same things.
The concepts have been introduced by Erik Erikson, a 20th-century psychologist who addressed the stages of psychological development – there are six stages of social needs that an individual requires throughout their lifetime.
He believed that all these needs were in an individual since the moment of birth, but as they developed over the person’s lifetime, the desire to meet the needs surfaced more and more during various stages of the life.
Intimacy vs isolation
Erik Erikson says that intimacy versus isolation is the sixth stage that takes place in young adulthood, and it can last by middle age.
The stage is all about creating long-lasting relationships, building strong connections that you can rely on for a long time. According to his theory, intimacy vs isolation will peak at around the age of 30 years old – at this age, people are still relatively young, but on the other hand, they are old enough to have found their place in life.
People at this age want to be able to keep good relationships with others.
Overcoming the feeling of isolation
Even if people have lots of friends and a strong relationship, the feeling of isolation can always hit. This can trigger depression and feelings of angst, and people can become involved in self-0destructive cycles due to isolation.
On the other hand, intimacy can help a lot in this regard. People confuse intimacy with sexual relationships, but the term involves much more than that.
Intimacy is described as a feeling of closeness that one should be able to have with their loved ones. Intimacy can easily help individuals cope with feelings of isolation by allowing them to open up to their loved ones and not feel alone anymore.
Intimacy vs isolation is about being able to create strong relationships that will last throughout your entire life, and the main goal should be moving from isolation to intimacy and gaining the ability to stay committed to others and vice versa.