What effect would it have on the human psyche to be able to observe, but not interact, with other humans for an extended length of time?
I had an idea for a character that was stuck in a ghost-like state for a length of time after an accident. During this time, they would have very limited ability to interact with the rest of the world: no one could see or hear them, but they could observe everything happening around them.
They would occasionally be able to interact slightly with the physical world around them, but it would consume so much energy that they would need to rest and recover for an extended time before they could again interact in such a way. Even then, their ability to affect the world in a controlled manner would be limited. They may be able to knock a glass off a table but not write anything legible with a pencil, for example. They would also be limited in how far they could travel away from their starting location before they would be drawn back. However, since that location was in the middle of a college university, there will always be quite a bit to see, with different types of activities all in a fairly close area for them to observe. They will not suffer from hunger, thirst, aging, etc, during this period of time.
I'm wondering what would happen to a human psychologically if stuck in this state for a length of time. I know that a very brief length of time in solitary confinement can cause quickly drive a person insane. How different would it be if one could witness human interaction but not be a part of it? I assume being able to witness human interaction would lower the psychological harm caused by one's isolation to an extent, but how long can someone go without the ability to interact with others before they have reached a point where they would struggle to function in the mundane world even after they are brought back to a normal state?
This post was sourced from https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/162491. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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I imagine your character would become incredibly frustrated, if not go insane outright. I would try to imagine how you would feel if you were unable to speak and had your hands tied behind your back. Sure, you don't have the discomfort of being actually bound, or the frustrations of having to get other people to look after your needs (food, etc.), but still, you can't talk to anyone, can't manipulate your environment in any way...
There's a reason some cultures practice shunning as a form of punishment, or why in general ostracization is usually seen as "bad".
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