Psychological Entrapment
”Once you believe things are permanent, you're trapped in a world without doors.” – Genesis P-Orridge
When we find ourselves psychologically entrapped, we are committed to a decision-making process that invests more time, more money and more emotional energy into a failing response. This course of action attempts to justify one’s past investments while feeling helpless to walk away. Eventually, this entrapment leads to more harm and more loss (1).
How does psychological entrapment play out in modern society? Are you aware of any of your own situations of psychological entrapment? Are there any strategies that might alleviate future entrapment, harm or loss?
“People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.” - James Baldwin
Domestic Violence (DV)
How many times have you heard someone say they are in a DV situation and you are left wondering: Why don’t they just leave?
What are the reasons for someone staying in such an intolerable circumstance? Let’s look at the psychological entrapment associated with DV.
Feelings of being coercively controlled are a major issue in cases of domestic violence. The abuser uses multiple means of control through isolation, financial control, physical and emotional threats, and limiting the person’s options.
The resultant psychology of the abused is entrapment. They may pretend to go along and even justify to themselves that things will change, however the decision to invest more time and effort usually does not alter the abuse.
The longer the abused stays in the relationship, the greater the risk of escalated violence. Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness will also increase over time.
“Be extra careful in the work environment with those who like to maintain their position through charm and being political, rather than getting things done. They are very prone to envying and hating those who work hard and get results. They will slander and sabotage you without any warning.”
Robert Greene
The Toxic Workplace
What happens when we are trapped in a toxic climate in our workplace? Long term exposure to toxic environments can also lead to psychological entrapment. Having invested my education, my years of experience on the job, my labour, how can I leave this toxic workplace.
Your salary has increased but the conditions in the workplace are unhealthy. You feel trapped by your circumstances.
You feel like you will be giving up your financial security to be happy in your work. Meanwhile your stress levels are mounting and your health, both physical and mental, are deteriorating.
We can feel entrapped from the outside-in, externally, or we can feel trapped from the inside-out, internally. External entrapment is about others restricting our freedom. Internal entrapment is about freeing ourselves from ourselves.
To determine the type of entrapment you are most vulnerable to, consider the Entrapment Scale (2025). This scale was devised to identify the specifics of your feelings of psychological entrapment.
The scoring is provided for both external and internal entrapment. External scores of 30 plus and internal scores of 18 plus would be considered high levels of psychological entrapment.
Through the identification of problem areas of entrapment, you will at least become more aware of what needs your attention. So much of entrapment goes unnoticed until time in the entrapment becomes part of the issue. Your investment of time and effort can convince you that you must continue the struggle or the loss will be too great.
A greater loss will eventuate through maintaining what is unhealthy and unworthy of your input. Accept the need for change.
The Entrapment Scale
SCALE ANCHORS
0 = Not at all like me 1 = A little bit like me 2 = Moderately like me 3 = Quite a bit like me 4 = Extremely like me
I am in a situation I feel trapped in 0 1 2 3 4
I have a strong desire to escape from things in my life 0 1 2 3 4
I am in a relationship I can’t get out of 0 1 2 3 4
I often have the feeling that I would just like to run away 0 1 2 3 4
I feel powerless to change things 0 1 2 3 4
I feel trapped by my obligations 0 1 2 3 4
I can see no way out of my current situation 0 1 2 3 4
I would like to get away from other more powerful people in my life 0 1 2 3 4
I have a strong desire to get away and stay away from where I am now 0 1 2 3 4
I feel trapped by other people 0 1 2 3 4
I want to get away from myself 0 1 2 3 4
I feel powerless to change myself 0 1 2 3 4
I would like to escape from my thoughts and feeling 0 1 2 3 4
I feel trapped inside myself 0 1 2 3 4
I would like to get away from who I am and start again 0 1 2 3 4
I feel I’m in a deep hole I can’t get out of 0 1 2 3 4
Scoring Note: Items 1-10 are summed to form the External Entrapment subscale score. Items 11-16 are summed to form the Internal Entrapment subscale score.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
Implications
Psychological entrapment is real. Our decision-making processes are blocked. We are stuck in a place that when perpetuated will cause damage to our identity. Ironically, indecision and maintaining the status-quo only makes things worse. The need for change is obvious but how do we do it?
Change requires movement. When we become uncomfortable, we usually move on to something new. Justifying the status-quo or tolerating your discomfort will not serve your best interests.
Your duty to yourself is to remove yourself from your abusers and remove yourself from your negative self-image. This strategy will take new thought patterns. Circa Albert Einstein’s quote.
References
1-APA Dictionary of Psychology (2026).
2-Mohammed looti (2025). The Entrapment Scale.
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