animals such as the leopard, an animal whose behaviour is usually defined by being solitary. Possible characteristics When expressing a desire to be alone, loners may not reject human contact entirely. A common example is that of the person who shuns any social interaction with colleagues beyond what is necessary for fulfilling their work or school responsibilities, mainly for practical reasons such as avoiding the complication of their non-personal life, but who is also highly charismatic during social gatherings with people outside of work or schoolor vice versa. Somebody who can be a loner would also fit the criteria for introversion, possibly due to both their innate personality traits and life experiences. See also Alexithymia Avoidant personality disorder Autism Autism spectrum disorder Asperger syndrome Byronic hero Dysfunctional family Depression Hedgehog's dilemma Hermit Hikikomori Major depressive disorder Schizoid personality disorder Social phobia Social rejection Wallflower (people) Loneliness References External links Article about loners in Psychology Today Human behavior Pejorative terms for people