Editing Solitude (section)

==Other uses==
===As pleasure===
[[File:Pyle pirate marooned.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|[[Howard Pyle]]'s 19th century illustration of a [[Marooning|marooned]] [[pirate]]]]

Solitude does not necessarily entail feelings of loneliness, and it may in fact be one's sole source of genuine pleasure for those who choose it with deliberate intent. Some individuals seek solitude for discovering a more meaningful and vital existence. For example, in religious contexts, some saints preferred silence, finding immense pleasure in their uniformity with God. Solitude is a state that can be positively modified utilizing it for [[prayer]] allowing to "be alone with ourselves and with God, to put ourselves in listening to His will, but also of what moves in our hearts, let purify our relationships; solitude and silence thus become spaces inhabited by God, and ability to recover ourselves and grow in humanity."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bibbiafrancescana.org/2015/02/preghiera-solitudine-e-silenzio |title=Preghiera, solitudine e silenzio &#124; Leggere la parola di Dio con S. Francesco e S. Chiara nella vita di tutti i giorni |access-date=2016-10-21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617135033/http://bibbiafrancescana.org/2015/02/preghiera-solitudine-e-silenzio/ |archive-date=2017-06-17 }} /</ref>

In psychology, [[Extraversion and introversion|introverted]] persons may require spending time alone to recharge, whereas those who are simply [[Asociality|socially apathetic]] might find it a pleasurable setting in which to occupy oneself with solitary tasks.

The [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] attained enlightenment through uses of meditation, deprived of sensory input, bodily necessities, and external desires, including social interaction. The context of solitude is attainment of pleasure from within, but this does not necessitate complete detachment from the external world.

This is well demonstrated in the writings of [[Edward Abbey]] with particular regard to ''[[Desert Solitaire]]'' where solitude focused only on isolation from other people allows for a more complete connection to the external world, as in the absence of human interaction the natural world itself takes on the role of the companion. In this context, the individual seeking solitude does so not strictly for personal gain or introspection, though this is often an unavoidable outcome, but instead in an attempt to gain an understanding of the natural world as entirely removed from the human perspective as possible, a state of mind much more readily attained in the complete absence of outside human presence.

===As punishment===
Isolation in the form of [[solitary confinement]] is a punishment or precaution used in many countries throughout the world for prisoners accused of serious crimes, those who may be at risk in the prison population, those who may commit suicide, or those unable to participate in the prison population due to sickness or injury. Research has found that solitary confinement does not deter inmates from committing further violence in prison.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150331131334.htm|title=Criminologist challenges effectiveness of solitary confinement|website=www.sciencedaily.com|access-date=2016-04-03|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603015205/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150331131334.htm|archive-date=2016-06-03}}</ref>

[[Psychiatric institution]]s may institute full or partial isolation for certain patients, particularly the violent or subversive, in order to address their particular needs and to protect the rest of the recovering population from their influence.