Is Computer Programming a Form of Dissociation or Avoidance?

Computer programming is often celebrated for its creativity, logic, and problem-solving elegance. But what happens when our immersion in code becomes so complete that it detaches us from our emotional or relational lives? Could it be that programming is, at times, less about building systems and more about escaping them?

The Nature of Immersion in Code

Programming creates a self-contained world governed by internally consistent logic, well-defined rules, and clear cause-and-effect outcomes. Unlike the complexities of human relationships or emotional life, programming offers structure and predictability. It’s no surprise that many programmers describe their work in terms reminiscent of a meditative or flow state (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).

However, such immersive states are not always benign. When a person habitually chooses the clarity of code over the messiness of life, it raises the question: is this a passion, a preference, or a psychological strategy of avoidance?

Programming as an Alternate Reality

Virtual worlds created through code can act as alternate realities—not in the sense of fantasy, but as structured escapes. When someone spends extensive time programming, they are engaging with a system that reflects their control and agency. This world responds predictably, unlike the often ambiguous nature of interpersonal life.

This can mirror the function of dissociation: retreating from overwhelming or intolerable emotional experiences by entering a different mental state. In dissociation, the person is present, but emotionally absent, often disconnected from bodily or emotional signals (van der Kolk, 2014).

Avoidance, Attachment, and the Allure of Logic

From a psychological perspective, programming might serve an avoidant attachment strategy. For individuals who find relationships threatening or confusing, the orderliness of code may feel safer than interpersonal intimacy. In psychodynamic terms, the programmer may “retreat to the mind,” substituting emotional engagement with intellectual mastery (McWilliams, 2011).

Some programmers report a deep discomfort with ambiguity in human interaction, and a compensatory gravitation toward binary logic. This isn’t inherently pathological—it can be an adaptive trait—but it raises the possibility that excessive coding could, in some instances, serve as a form of emotional withdrawal.

Is It Always Dissociation?

Not necessarily. The same argument could be made about music, painting, reading, or gardening. Any deep engagement with a task can look like avoidance when observed from the outside. The distinction lies in intent, function, and consequence. Does programming enrich life or shield one from it?

Clinically, dissociation involves a disruption in integration—of memory, perception, identity, or consciousness (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). A person who uses programming as a coping mechanism might not meet this clinical threshold but may still use it in a dissociative-like manner.

A Therapeutic Perspective

For therapists working with clients who code extensively, it’s helpful to ask:

• What role does programming serve in their emotional life?
• Is it a sanctuary or a silo?
• Is it additive, or does it narrow their relational world?

Encouraging clients to explore their emotional relationship to their work can reveal whether programming is an expression of creativity or a refuge from pain.

Conclusion

Programming is not inherently dissociative—but it can be. Like any immersive activity, it has the potential to be used consciously as a creative outlet or unconsciously as a strategy of avoidance. Recognising this possibility allows both programmers and therapists to engage in more reflective and balanced relationships with technology and the self.

References

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: APA. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper & Row. ISBN: 9780060162535
• McWilliams, N. (2011). Psychoanalytic Diagnosis: Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. ISBN: 9781609184940
• van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking. ISBN: 9780670785933

Resources

• “Is Coding a Form of Escapism?” – Psychology Today
• “Flow in Computer Programming” – Journal of Human–Computer Interaction
• “Dissociation and the Therapeutic Relationship” – British Journal of Psychotherapy