Research Notebook Entry #004: Defining Human Distance: A Working Construct for Investigation

Research Status

Active Research Framework Under Development

Evidence Level: Concept Development / Construct Definition

Research Question

Can a person’s perceived distance from presence, agency, connection, meaning, embodiment, and identity be measured as part of understanding access to human capacity?

Purpose of This Entry

This entry documents the current working definition of Human Distance within the Accessible Human Capacity Study.

The goal is not to claim that Human Distance is a validated psychological construct. The goal is to define it clearly enough that it can be compared against existing constructs and, if justified, studied in future research.

Background

During early development of the Accessible Human Capacity Study, one recurring observation emerged:

Some people do not only describe feeling depressed, anxious, lonely, or overwhelmed.

They describe feeling far from themselves.

Examples include:

• “I feel like I’m watching my life instead of living it.”
• “I know what matters to me, but I feel disconnected from it.”
• “I’m functioning, but I don’t feel present.”
• “I care about people, but I can’t feel emotionally available.”

These statements suggest a possible experience of perceived distance between a person’s current lived state and their sense of full participation in life.

Whether that experience is already explained by existing constructs remains unknown.

Working Definition

For this project:

Human Distance refers to a person’s perceived distance from being present, connected, agentic, embodied, identity-aligned, and meaningfully engaged in their own life.

This definition focuses on the person’s subjective experience of distance, not an objective measure of worth, potential, or functioning.

Proposed Dimensions

The working model currently includes six possible dimensions:

1. Presence Distance

Feeling absent, detached, or on autopilot in daily life.

2. Identity Distance

Feeling disconnected from one’s values, future self, or deeper sense of identity.

3. Connection Distance

Feeling emotionally unavailable, unseen, isolated, or difficult to reach.

4. Agency Distance

Feeling unable to choose, act, begin, or influence one’s next step.

5. Meaning Distance

Feeling disconnected from purpose, significance, hope, or direction.

6. Embodiment Distance

Feeling disconnected from physical needs, bodily signals, or grounded experience.

Important Clarification

Human Distance is not being proposed as a diagnosis.

It is not intended to replace measures of:

• depression
• anxiety
• loneliness
• dissociation
• quality of life
• wellbeing
• functioning

Instead, this project asks whether Human Distance may capture a specific subjective experience that overlaps with, but may not be identical to, those constructs.

That distinction has not yet been demonstrated.

Current Investigation

The next research task is to compare Human Distance with existing constructs that may already describe similar experiences, including:

• depression
• loneliness
• dissociation
• depersonalization/derealization
• self-concept clarity
• psychological flexibility
• quality of life
• flourishing
• social connectedness
• meaning in life
• agency and autonomy

This comparison will determine whether Human Distance should remain, be revised, be merged with existing constructs, or be removed.

Evidence Reviewed

No formal literature review has been completed for this construct at the time of this entry.

This entry records the working definition before systematic comparison with existing psychological literature begins.

Observations

Several early observations guide this construct:

• 1. People may describe distress not only as symptom intensity, but as distance from self, others, life, or meaning.
• 2. A person may continue functioning externally while reporting reduced internal participation.
• 3. Emotional numbness, rumination, loneliness, and exhaustion may increase this perceived distance.
• 4. Experiences of connection, agency, rest, creativity, or meaning may reduce this perceived distance.
• 5. These observations are not evidence of a distinct construct. They are reasons to investigate.

Working Interpretation

The current interpretation is provisional.

Human Distance may represent:

• a distinct measurable construct,
• a broad descriptive framework,
• a combination of already-established constructs,
• or an unnecessary term if existing measures already capture the experience adequately.

The project does not currently assume which explanation is correct.

Competing Explanations

Explanation 1

Human Distance captures a distinct subjective experience not fully measured by symptom scales.

Explanation 2

Human Distance is largely explained by depression, loneliness, dissociation, or reduced quality of life.

Explanation 3

Human Distance is a useful public-facing term but not a scientifically distinct construct.

Explanation 4

Human Distance may only be useful as a subcomponent of Capacity Accessibility rather than as a separate measure.

Future literature mapping and expert review will determine which explanation is best supported.

Decision Log

Since Entry #003:

• The project has documented Human Distance as a provisional construct.
• Human Distance is currently defined as perceived distance from presence, connection, agency, embodiment, identity alignment, and meaning.
• The project has not yet determined whether Human Distance should become a standalone measure or remain part of the broader Capacity Accessibility framework.

Remaining Questions

Key unanswered questions include:

• Is Human Distance already captured by existing constructs?
• Can participants reliably understand and answer questions about “distance from self”?
• Is Human Distance distinguishable from depression, loneliness, dissociation, or low wellbeing?
• Does Human Distance predict functioning beyond symptom severity?
• Does Human Distance change before, after, or alongside changes in Accessible Human Capacity?
• Should Human Distance be measured daily, weekly, or only as part of broader assessments?

Next Research Step

The next research step is to begin the literature map with psychological flexibility, because it may be one of the closest existing constructs related to adaptive functioning, values-based action, and psychological access during distress.

That review will examine:

• formal definition
• commonly used measurement tools
• evidence base
• overlap with Capacity Accessibility
• overlap with Human Distance
• possible distinctions