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Withdrawn behavior is avoiding or not seeking out social contact.

People who withdraw may


actively avoid spending time with other people. Or, they may not put any effort into seeking out
social interactions. Some withdrawn people don't mind being with other people but don't feel
particularly driven to seek out others.J

What does it mean when a person is withdrawn?


A withdrawn person can be hard to find, and even if they're around, hard to talk to —
withdrawn people don't like to talk, or they try to talk as little as possible.
A person who is withdrawn from the rest of the world for a long period of time is a
recluse — an extremely solitary, withdrawn person.

What causes a person to become withdrawn?


One of the most common reasons that people become withdrawn from others is that
they are suffering from depression. ... When someone feels depressed they might have
so many negative feelings and emotional turmoil that facing a social event or even
talking to a friend can seem overwhelming.

What Is Withdrawn Behavior And What Causes It?


By Julia Thomas

Updated July 10, 2019

Spending time with other people can be fun, interesting, and even exciting. Having a strong social
network can also increase your sense of self-worth and provide you with support during difficult
times. However, sometimes people withdraw from social contact, and they do it for a variety of
reasons. Here's how to identify withdrawn behavior and what might be behind it.

What Is Withdrawn Behavior?


Source: pexels.com

Withdrawn behavior is avoiding or not seeking out social contact. People who withdraw may actively
avoid spending time with other people. Or, they may not put any effort into seeking out social
interactions. Some withdrawn people don't mind being with other people but don't feel particularly
driven to seek out others. Some would like to be social but have trouble doing it. Others actively
dislike being with others.

Some examples of withdrawn behavior include:

 Spending a lot of time alone


 Preferring to play or work by themselves
 Turning down social invitations to stay at home alone
 Talking less in social settings
 Staying at home instead of going to events where there will be other people
 Not trying new experiences
 Preferring not to meet new people
 Staying out of unfamiliar situations
 Preferring jobs where they work with things more than people
 Initiating conversations less often or taking longer to do so than others

Types Of People Who Exhibit Withdrawn Behavior


It's important to understand that not all withdrawn behavior is alike. People who withdraw fall into
several different categories based on their motivations behind wanting to withdraw.

Unsocial People

Unsocial people are those who don't care one way or the other about being with other people. They
don't dislike social contact, but they don't seek it out, either. They aren't particularly interested in
trying new things. And they tend to be less motivated to go after what they want. The good news is
that they typically don't engage in aggressive behavior. Also, they're often more creative than others
who exhibit withdrawn behavior.

Shy People

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Shy people usually have anxiety about being with other people. More than that, they have anxiety
about being anxious. They don't feel pleasure in activities that others find enjoyable. If something is
unpleasant to them, they tend to avoid it. They just don't have much motivation to get what they want
in life. Also, they tend to be more aggressive and less creative than people who aren't shy.

People in this group may want very much to have an active social life. However, at the same time,
they fear it, often intensely. They may try to interact with others but fail due to their anxiety or poor
verbal skills. Or, they may falsely perceive that their social skills aren't good enough and not even
try.

People Who Avoid Social Contact

In many ways, people who avoid social contact seem very much like people who are shy. There are
a few differences though. Rather than trying to be social and failing like shy people, they make a
point of staying away from other people. They tend to avoid situations that are unpleasant more than
shy people do.

People Who Enjoy The Solitary Life

While unsocial people don't care whether they're with people or not, solitary people enjoy being
alone more than with others. They get pleasure from the time they spend doing things on their own.
They like to think things over, master new subjects that they can learn on their own, and do activities
that interest them. These people may display withdrawn behavior. However, they don't tend to have
any anxiety or avoidance problems. They may be perfectly mentally healthy. They just have different
preferences than people who are more social.

People Who Are Rejected

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Unfortunately, not everyone has control over how well they're accepted among their peers. Some
people are rejected from social groups for various reasons. It could be because of the way they look,
their family background, or having different interests than others in their group. Or they may exhibit
withdrawn behavior that sets them apart from their peers. For whatever reason, the group excludes
them.

These people don't choose to be alone. Being excluded can lead to decreased self-esteem and
depression. They aren't just physically alone, but they feel emotionally isolated from others.
Causes Of Withdrawn Behavior

Withdrawn behavior doesn't just happen. If you find a hermit living in a remote cave, you can be sure
there's a reason behind his reclusive behavior. While scientists don't understand all the reasons why
people become socially withdrawn, they have identified a few possible reasons for why people
withdraw.

They're Biologically Predisposed to Withdrawal

Some infants are more easily aroused than others. When their environment is too stimulating for
them, they become fussy and hard to soothe. Scientists believe this phenomenon is based on
biology. In other words, these infants are more sensitive to both social and nonsocial stimulation in
their environment from the time they're born. They're in a state of sensory overload much of the time.

Their Parents Overprotected Them

The second possibility often stems from the first. When an infant is hard to soothe, parents may
respond to them by constantly fussing over them. They worry that they aren't meeting the child's
needs. So they nervously try to keep them from getting upset. They end up overprotecting them.
This can continue throughout their childhood. If they remain dependent on their parent in any way
when they're grown, it can even go on after they're adults.

They're Unsuccessful in Early Social Situations

As children make their way into the larger world, they begin to learn the unwritten rules of social
interaction. This happens mostly in a trial-and-error fashion. Most children are a successful part of
the time and make social blunders at some other times. It's a natural process, and children usually
learn from their mistakes and move on. However, if the child has more social failures than
successes, they may become discouraged. They may begin to fear to be social, they may feel that
they just don't have a knack for it, or they may lose their motivation to try.

They Have Poor Verbal Skills

Interacting well with others requires you to have adequate verbal skills for the situation at hand. You
not only have to be able to form a complete thought and say it in an understandable way but in many
cases, you have to do it quickly. Children who test low in verbal skills are often the same ones who
struggle in social situations. Often, they display withdrawn behavior as a result.

They're Burnt Out

Adults sometimes withdraw when they're burnt out at work. This is especially true in high-pressure
jobs or among people who have more than one job. They become so exhausted from trying to keep
up with the demands placed on them at work that they don't have any emotional resources left to
interact socially when they're off work.

They Have Anger Issues

People who don't know how to manage their anger sometimes become socially withdrawn. They
choose withdrawn behaviors as an alternative to becoming aggressive. Yet, they don't have any way
to resolve their anger, so they end up having emotional problems long after the incident that caused
their anger is passed. What's more, withdrawing doesn't always keep them from acting aggressively.
Even if they don't physically harm someone, they may try to "get back at them" through more subtle
passive-aggressive behaviors.

They're Taking Time To Reflect

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Most people spend some time every few years to reflect and consider whether they want to continue
on the same life path they're on at the moment. They may exhibit withdrawn behavior during this
time, at least for a while. In this case, it's a natural process that can have beneficial results.

They Have A Mental Condition

Sometimes people show withdrawn behavior because they have some type of mental disorder that
interferes with their ability to interact well. Some of the mental illnesses that can contribute to this
type of behavior include schizophrenia, major depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety,
autism, phobias, and personality disorders.

What If You Find Yourself Withdrawing Socially?

For some people, overcoming social withdrawal is as simple as deciding to do it and making an
effort. However, for most people, the problem isn't as easily solved. Whether you have a
diagnosable mental illness or not, therapy can help you reduce your withdrawn behavior.

You may need to spend some time finding out why you're socially withdrawn so that you can
address those issues first. After you understand what you need to know about why you're withdrawn,
you can deal with any underlying problems.

Then, you can work on the current withdrawn behavior in several ways. You can learn social skills,
improve your self-esteem, and find ways to feel less fearful in social settings. You can deal with early
social failures and gain confidence when your therapist encourages you and guides you in practicing
your newly learned social skills. You can discuss these issues and more with a mental health
counselor at BetterHelp. Getting treatment for mental health conditions that might be behind your
withdrawn behavior is important, not only to become more socially involved but also for your own
mental health.

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