The Meaning And Causes Of Loneliness

Loneliness tends to be truly only for chronically lonely individuals, not for “State-lonely” individuals whose loneliness is adequately explained by potent situation factors (e.g. widowhood, geographical relocation). More like a trait even when induced in an acute fashion.

 “Loneliness” by Fromm Reichmann (1959). Empirical research into loneliness was supported by the efforts of Perlman and peplum (1981), who defined loneliness as “the unpleasant experience that occurs when a person’s network of social relations is deficient in some important way, either quantitatively or qualitatively.”Another definition of loneliness, frequently used in European Countries, is formulated as follows:

 Loneliness is a situation experienced by the individual as one where there is an unpleasant or indivisible lack of (quality of) certain relationships. This includes situations, in which the number of existing relationships is smaller than is considered desirable or admissible, as well as situations where the intimacy one wishes for has not been realized.”      

 Loneliness is a subjective and negative experience, and the outcome of a cognitive evaluation of the match between the quantity and quality of existing relationships and relationship standards. The opposite of loneliness is belongingness .
Loneliness can also be defined as the distress occurs when one’s social relationships are perceived as being less satisfying than what is desired.

The work of John Bowlby on a attachment bonds (Bowlby, 1973) heralds the beginning of theoretical conceptualizations of loneliness. Roberts Weiss (1973) delineated an attachment theory of loneliness in which deficiencies in social relationships serving specific functions (e.g. attachment, social integration, and nurturance) were posited to contribute to feelings of loneliness.

·        Social loneliness – means lack of social integration.

·        Emotional loneliness – means absence of reliable attachment figure.   

   Common Causes of Loneliness

1.      People with mental illness: - People who are living with mental illness are particularly prone to feeling lonely.

2.      Lone Careers: - Caring for someone it can be very difficult to leave the house and get out and about. It is not uncommon for lone cares to feel isolated or alone.

3.      People with physical disability: - People in this condition on are at risk of experiencing loneliness for a number of reasons. Stigma and disadvantage can cause people who experience a physical disability to feel excluded from social activities.

4.      People experiencing discrimination – Being treated as different from others can often make people feel lonely or isolated. Being discriminated against because of ethnicity, gender, sexuality or any other cause.                                      

Some Reasons People feel lonely include:

1.      Technology: - Through the internet and mobile phones are awesome, they can sometimes make us fell detached from the world around us.

2.      Not fitting in: - When you are in an environment where you do not feel comfortable, when somebody bullied or discriminated against.

3.      No one listen to you: - When you are young. It can feel like no one listens to you or takes you seriously. It can make someone feel lonely and not important.

4.      Physical Isolation: - Sometimes we’re in a situation where there is just no one around. This can be as a result of moving to a new place, living alone, family moving away or someone dying.
Have a nice day.