What is the problem of homelessness? Clinical psychologist Stanislav Sambursky explains
08.04.2023 12:01
Updated: 15.04.2023 04:08
There are cases when a homeless person does not fully understand or does not accept his situation. Here is a story of a man who was very successful in Soviet times, but then everything went wrong for him, and he has been homeless for several years now - living in shelters.
So he tries to live in the past (talks only about his successful past, lives in memories, etc.). Why does this happen? How can this be explained from a psychological point of view? How can this affect the future life of a homeless person (and in general, how does such stagnation affect the life of any person)? Is it worth fixing? Stanislav Sambursky , clinical psychologist at the “Clinic of Dr. Anikina”, author of the Zen channel “Ecological Psychologist”, explains.
People tend to return in their thoughts to their past and yearn for those times when everything was better, the body was full of strength and energy, the head was clearer, and the soul was full of hope.
People can feel more comfortable and safe in the past. It doesn't matter what the past actually was, what matters is how the events were imprinted in our memory. That's why a person seems to freeze in a cocoon of memories and doesn't want to break out of there. Why, if everything is good and cozy in the memories.
People who are fixated on something in the past cannot move forward and look at the world more broadly, they lose the opportunity to acquire new skills and abilities. A person stuck in the past only reproduces what he already had, he cannot create something new. Life becomes like a tram route: it can only travel along the places where the rails are laid and only in one direction, for a certain distance.
People can become homeless for various reasons, but, as charities say, the main reason is financial. A person who suddenly lost everything and became homeless suffers enormous psychological trauma. It doesn’t matter why it happened: addictions, illness or circumstances.
How can one live on when friends have disappeared, partners have taken advantage of one's weakness and removed one from all positions, one's wife has left, and one's children have turned away? In addition to the obvious limitations, such people are prevented from starting a new life by the fact that they surrender to nostalgia and live in memories of past successes.
Few people can cope with this problem on their own. To work through the problem of living in the past, it is worth seeking advice from a psychologist who will help you understand yourself and accompany you in the process. For the homeless, charitable foundations organize group lectures on adaptation (social and work), on getting out of addictions, and so on.
Why don't homeless people (and people in general) want to change their way of life (even if this way of life is some kind of disaster) and what to do about it?
More often than not, it’s not a lack of desire to change something, but a lack of opportunity.
The main reasons why homeless people get stuck in their status:
No documents
Psychological and health problems
Alcoholism, drug addiction
Homeless people are often robbed on the street and not everyone is able to restore documents, since there is often no understanding of how to interact with government agencies and there is a fear of being rejected. Homeless people often have neither strength nor motivation - life without a roof over their heads leads to the development of many diseases and keeps them in a state of constant anxiety, leading people to depression. Usually, the physical and emotional state pushes one to look for a way to distract oneself from a difficult situation and a person starts drinking. Thus, drowning problems in alcohol, one gets into a vicious circle, which is extremely difficult to get out of.
To return to society, a change of environment is needed, and work with doctors and psychologists will also be required.
Social workers working with the homeless note that their planning horizon is one day. Why does this happen? How difficult is it to get rid of this "habit", if you can call it that? Does it interfere with the well-being of the homeless person? Why, how? Is this only found among the homeless?
Resocialization (return to life in society and adaptation) is a complex word with a simple meaning - to return a person from the street and into the society of people who have their own home, their own apartment, their own corner.
The process seems simple, but in reality it takes a lot of time and effort, since a person who was forced to live on the street, even for a short period, gets a huge pile of psychological problems. Homeless people are often deceived, robbed, exploited, which leads to complete mistrust of others and an exacerbation of defensive reactions, which can be expressed in antisocial behavior.
A person who returns to society needs time and help in rehabilitation, needs to relearn to trust people, to build relationships with them. This also includes problems with the loss of professional skills; their restoration also requires time and support from the outside.
Is it possible to recognize a homeless person by gestures, facial expressions, or any specific features? Should you help him? What is the best way to help a homeless person?
You can tell if a person on the street needs medical help by their consciousness and coordination of movements - the problem is not always related to alcohol. A homeless person may have a physical injury from a fall, a stroke, or a complication of a chronic disease.
If a person needs food or is looking for a place to spend the night, talk to them and find out what happened and how exactly you can help them. You shouldn't give them money - the best solution would be to find a charity that helps the homeless, contact them and pay for the person's travel to the charity.
If a homeless person asks for food, find out how long they haven't eaten. Buy food and water or a hot drink if it's cold outside. Food that doesn't require cooking and is easy to open is suitable: cheese, pate, bread.
Why do people drink when they find themselves in a difficult life situation? How to cope with it? Should loved ones insist on getting rid of alcoholism if the person himself does not want to?
Alcohol is often the cause and effect of life on the street. Many people are brought to the bottom of society by alcohol addiction.
Addiction to alcohol develops due to a number of factors:
Lack of professional fulfillment and the inability to integrate into society provoke stress, constant anxiety, and people try to relieve emotional stress, forget, by drinking alcohol.
Drinking parents or company are one of the main reasons for the development of alcoholism.
Metabolic disorders, diseases of the nervous system or liver accelerate the development of alcohol dependence.
In our climate, it is difficult for homeless people to survive without alcohol on the street. A person who finds himself on the street is under constant stress, surrounded by people in emotional and financial decline, and sees only the hopelessness of his situation and the lack of prospects. In such a situation, a glass or two no longer seems like something terrible, but out of desperation, a completely working tool to establish contact with other homeless people and to warm up.
As a result, over time, homeless people's priorities change and instead of buying necessary things, they again and again buy alcohol.
Psychologists can help solve the problem of alcoholism, but the methods that work with ordinary people will be ineffective with the homeless. The reason for the lack of positive motivation in the homeless to get rid of addiction is their social status. They do not want and do not see the point in giving up alcohol and returning to society, because they consider it a hopeless undertaking and do not believe that people will accept them again.
Homeless people need comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation, which includes medical and psychological assistance.
If one of the family members has problems with alcohol, the first thing to do is to abandon the “parental” defense mechanism and not solve the drinking spouse’s problems for him.
One of the effective methods is the “tough love” strategy, when the whole family gets together and says that they are worried about the person, but will not indulge him, and will not let him die in a destructive addiction. It is important to show your loved one that he will receive your support and to outline the boundaries of behavior that must be strictly observed. It is better to discuss the behavior strategy in detail with a psychologist during a consultation.
