The Psychology Of Being Lost

In 1998, a doctor called Kenneth Hill wrote a book titled Lost Person Behavior. In this book Kenneth writes about the ways people can become lost, how we tend to act when we realize we’re lost, and the best ways for getting unlost. This is a very readable introductory chapter that, I quote:

... discusses the concept of being lost from a psychological point of view. Research on the behavior of lost persons is described, including their emotional reactions and the various methods they employ in their efforts to become "found."

What’s a lost person? How does a person remain "found"? What’s the role of emotions? Hill gives wonderfully comprehensive answers to all of these questions, finishing the chapter with a brilliant illustrative example.

The chapter is 16 pages. It is long, indeed; however, the fluidity of Dr. Hill’s writing makes the lecture smooth and swift, leaving you craving more. His research is so vast, grand and masterly written that it took me nearly 10 pages to realize he was talking about the psychology of actually being lost, meaning a background on the behavior of the most common types of lost persons such as patients with Alzheimer's, children in strange places, hikers, and hunters. Nevertheless, the whole paper seems almost metaphorical, leaving us room to interpret it in all ways we desire. As if the hidden intention of it would be the one of helping us find ourselves again when physically, emotionally and mentally disoriented.