Part 1 - Understanding Adolescent Social Withdrawal: A Gestalt Perspective

The first in a collection of writings on social withdrawal and Gestalt therapeutic approaches

Introduction to the Chapter: Adolescence in Eclipse

In “Adolescence in Eclipse: Notes for the Labyrinth of Social Withdrawal”, Michele Lipani explores the growing issue of teenagers pulling away from school, friends, and social life. This chapter is the first in a series of writings that aim to better understand social withdrawal in adolescence through the lens of Gestalt therapy.

Lipani invites us to see this behaviour not as a failure or disorder, but as a way some young people try to protect themselves when the outside world feels too overwhelming. Instead of focusing only on diagnosis, the chapter explores the emotional and relational struggles behind the withdrawal. It highlights the importance of understanding the young person in the context of their family, school, and cultural environment.

This work encourages therapists and parents to slow down, listen deeply, and view the adolescent’s retreat as a meaningful response to their lived experience, not something to be quickly fixed, but gently explored.

In Gestalt therapy, we look at the whole person in the context of their environment—or field—not just the symptoms they present. This article explores how some teenagers begin to withdraw from social life in subtle but progressive ways, often without a clear trigger or clinical diagnosis. What may start as avoiding parties or school eventually becomes full retreat into their bedrooms, leading parents to feel helpless and confused.

From a Gestalt perspective, this withdrawal isn’t necessarily a rejection of others, but a protective response to something in the environment that feels overwhelming or unsafe. The behaviour may look dysfunctional, but it actually serves an adaptive function—often helping the young person manage intense anxiety or feelings of inadequacy.

Instead of rushing to pathologise the teenager, Gestalt therapy invites us to pause and ask:

What is this behaviour trying to support or protect?

The adolescent might feel fragile, exposed, or terrified of being humiliated. They may sense that the world expects too much of them, too quickly. Their withdrawal becomes a way to survive, even if it comes at the cost of connection and growth.

The therapist’s role is not to “fix” the adolescent, but to understand their lived experience within their relational and cultural field. At the same time, therapists often begin by working closely with parents—helping them shift from seeing the behaviour as simply problematic to seeing it as a creative, though painful, response to internal and external pressures.

Key themes include:

• The slow onset of social withdrawal, often misread or minimised early on

• Anxiety, shame, and a deep fear of being seen as inadequate

• The struggle to step into adolescence in a world that feels unpredictable and unforgiving

• The need for parental support and meaning-making, rather than blame or urgency to “fix”

• The importance of seeing this behaviour as a call for safety, not failure

Gestalt therapy sees these young people not as broken, but as doing the best they can with what they have, in a field that may no longer feel safe or responsive to their needs. Therapy, then, becomes a process of slowly building contact—within themselves, their families, and the wider world.

APA 7 Reference:

Lipani, M. (2022). Adolescence in eclipse: Journey for the labyrinth of social withdrawal. In G. Salonia (Ed.), Psychopathology of the situation in Gestalt therapy: A field-oriented approach (pp. 159-172). Routledge.