What Are the Different Forms of Escapism? (5 Fascinating Modes)

Escapism refers to a strategy to cope with the problems of the real world to find shelter, preferred security, and serenity in the world of fantasies.

The idea of escapism generally refers to as a displacement from realism to seek shelter in a parallel and fictional world.

Though, there may be some fantasies involved which are related to better, much powerful, successful, or important ego.

Escapism is also referred to as Houdini Syndrome, referring to the abilities of the renowned Hungarian escapist of the 19th century.

Though, in Psychology, escapism is an evasion apparatus that includes evading struggles, difficulties, and everyday tasks.

In this article, we will discuss escapism. 

The most common escapist strategies to evade reality

There are a lot of methods to evade from a real-world which a person may not prefer.

Some individuals are able to expend a lot of time in an effort to crack the next stage of a video game whereas other people may get stuck in the social media sites.

There are few people who submerge themselves in television shows races and few people who diminish amid the pages of books or involve in actions that are not meaningful or relevant when there are a lot of thinks of much more significant and definite for them to do.

This is not coincident that research carried out at Mannheim University showed that the quantity of time young people devote to viewing TV shows is a sign of their level of escapism.

The researchers have revealed that the people who go through a slight requirement for self-reflection and self-examination have a habit of devoting more time of their day to TV shows.

In this modern world, the ideal forms of escapism are the obsessive needs to be continuously indulged in things like mobile, laptop, and television shows, searching for ostensibly significant info, playing games, or digging into social media sites.

Actually, many types of research, including a study conducted at Duzce University, have revealed an association among the number of hours a person spends on social media sites and the Internet in common thinking and the inclination towards escapism. 

Going for a tour or a trip can also be a strategy of escapism, as it has been shown by the researchers of the University of Surrey, particularly when the motives behind this tour or trip are not to explore new places but to just get evasion from a place where a person is as it becomes intolerable for him.

Alcohol and drugs also, of course, are adopted as an escapism strategy as these things change our cognitive functioning, making an interruption in ego and facilitating a person to avoid or pay no attention to the realities, they also cause greater physical and mental harm.

Actually, every person tends to select the method of the escape of his own preference and submerges himself into an alternative world which he has built for his own convenience.

In order to neglect the overwhelming realities of the world and he does not wish to encounter those realities.

Forms of Escapism

This modern world has posed many potential threats and challenges to life.

With the advancement in technology, everyone is now busy with their mobile phone and laptops.

The intensity of stress is getting higher on a daily basis along with the rise in anxiety and depression.

Consequently, it is the need of the hour for everyone to find a mechanism or develop a strategy of escapism from the modern lifestyle to increase and sustain the mental and emotional wellbeing.

This society rants on that individual who opts out and shuns corporate stepladders and office politics.

To look for the approved and appropriate form of escapism is now have gained more importance than ever and there are a lot of ways in which a person can steer himself away from the stress, strain, and anxiety of his daily life.

Following are the few most opted and famous forms of escapism:

Sport

The purpose of sports is of so much importance in the life of an individual.

Most people tend to live gloomy life and to take part in supporting a team enables them to have a sense of belongingness and let him explore many exciting dimensions of his life.

There are a few games that can specifically be belligerent, for example, WWE Wrestling, and it gives an authentic way out for anger.

It helps in lowering the levels of stress and render people with a lesser level of aggression because the players of the team and the spectators both get the opportunity to shout and let off the steam.

Games and sports provide significant relief and form of escapism and strain release for a lot of people, if there were no sports, these stress levels would be focused towards lesser suitable places, in this way probably affecting the people in an adverse manner. 

Sport provides a valuable release and form of escapism and stress release for many and if the sport was not available, this stress would be diverted into less appropriate places, thereby possibly affecting society in a negative way.

Corporate world

It has been noticed in most of the people that they have adopted, going to workplaces, as a form of escapism.

Getting indulge at the workplace with projects, emails and meetings give a chance for escaping from dealing with the issues and problems one may facing in his life related to his personal and interpersonal relationships to provide himself a sigh of relief and a time to get rid of his problems.

A lot of people get busy working and adopt this lame apology to mumble with and do not encounter the issues of immense significance such as their interpersonal relations and their own contentment.

Jobs are providing very appropriate excused for the people to keep going in an automatic mode, it has a system and a structure and can take over life continuously if a person lets it do so.

Most people tend to forget the fact that when everything is done and said, very fewer individuals want to have long working hours.

Most people have a desire that they had slowed down a bitter and had fun in their lives.

Very few matters in the end when we are older and decaying other than what we gave back and our family, friends, and pets.

Drugs

Drugs are the most famous form of escapism.

This is understandable and needs much attention because the usage of drugs is on high demand these days along with the usage of other drugs.

When life becomes harder, a lot of people turn towards drugs in search of contentment to get helped in escapism.

Getting bored or dull and the financial conditions are significant contributors towards the addiction of drugs but this is not a permanent solution that leads toward more adverse consequences than to resolve the issue.

If there would have been more happiness and easiness in life then it is believed that the usage and urge for drugs would have been decreased as a form of escapism. 

Overeating

A person who is overweight has more chances of having trouble and discontent in his life on some stage.

It is believed that overeating, until or unless it is physiological, such as, hormonal or metabolic, is also considered as a type of escapism which is originated due to the comfort-seeking habit of a person.

Escaping or evading from frustration or sadness.

Search for what is the voided and what is not met and a person will begin to lessen the consumption of food is an appropriate escape.  

The Suicide

A person who has grown to be extremely escapist is for sure the one who removes himself violent.

Probably he may have been trying the other forms of escapism as well, and maybe he has not, probably he thinks he knows the methods of the universe and is tired of them.

But, it is a probability that he is misunderstood or mistaken.

At various points of their lives, people get tired of their lives and start feeling this way, and want something to try for getting better without giving up on their lives.

It is advised to most people who are looking for suicide as a form of escapism, the way we feel is an extreme form of escapism, but there are many other better forms of escapism than committing suicide.

These are the easy or forms that are not much violent.

Those form which allows an individual to build stronger connections with his friends and family.

Committing suicide is considered as a worst and extreme form of escapism.

The desire for escape is widespread in its various forms.

Escapism in the age of coronavirus

Though it frequently becomes a harder period from self-help experts, escapism can be a priceless instrument when it comes to living in periods just like these.

Escapism happens when we involve in events that pull us away from the strain of pessimism in our lives.

It is a kind of prioritizing and a kind of retune that can be particularly beneficial when we are feeling as though we have lost vision of what we want to do or what is significant.

Stop eyeing at escapism as somewhat to be evaded, and cuddle the authority of doing nothing.

However we have been communicated that pleasure is the pathway to evil and disappointment, nonentity could be more from reality.

Giving ourselves the room and chance to rearrange is compassion that we are obliged to ourselves and our welfare.

There are numerous other kinds of escapism anything in dissipations proposes probable concerns.

Getting indulge in the habits of addiction is also a type of escapism, being it smoking, drugs, alcohol, gambling, or love addiction.

These issues arise from a single inner lack or void.

Mostly, this void or lack is measured by the levels of our self-esteem and self-confidence.

Psychological therapies can cover long miles to comfort the urges of getting an escape and can make an individual learn to regulate his emotions in a constructive manner and encounter his stress with patience and calmness. Positive forms of escape include meditation and mindfulness.

FAQ about Escapism

References

Mentalhelp.net: “Forms of escapism” 

davidbcalhoun.com: “forms of escapism”

E.B.Jhonson: “How to effectively use escapism in the age of social distancing