Towards understanding the human condition(s) of alone/not alone
Date
1999
Authors
Koleba, Jane Marie
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Abstract
The difference between being alone and not alone is a matter of perception. To achieve a state of being not alone a person must overcome the stigma and fears attached to ideas of aloneness. Much of the ability to do so lies in that person's connections to their internal other(s), what could be described as a sense of self. These are the conclusion of a study of my own and others' experiences.
This study was conducted autobiographically, although I did not start out to do an autobiographical study. I started out trying to make sense of responses to questionnaires from both high school and university students, and observations of the world and the people around me. I found that the only sense I could make of my topic was my own sense, and so I pursued a critical reflection on my own experiences of alone/not alone.
This is a study of lived experience in which the focus is on understanding multiple meanings of alone/not alone. As I looked for meaning and depth of meaning within myself, I had to surmount layers of resistance, such as previous training to be an objective observer rather than part of the study, and a resistance from within myself as I looked deeper into my own feelings of alone/not alone. All of this contributed to my understanding of alone/not alone as I slowly, and with some difficulty, brought myself into the study, experiencing various states of alone/not alone as I did so.