Chapter 4 - Mapping the Benefits of Solitude

Summary

Imagine entering solitude, as either a familiar or foreign landscape; getting the lay of the land; then choosing a direction in which to go. With that approach to organizing our research subjects’ many diverse experiences, four categories of benefits emerged like cardinal directions on a map – north, south, east, and west. In solitude, we draw our own map and orient our individual compass as we venture down our chosen path. The direction one goes, toward a new or familiar destination, may vary depending on the day or moment, stage of life, or necessity or desire to achieve a certain goal.