The 7 Types Of Loneliness, And Their Causes And Characteristics
Loneliness is a problem that can be serious. In fact, it is known to go hand in hand with many other problems, such as the weakening of the support networks that society provides, and the adoption of unhealthy lifestyles.
In this article We will see what are the main types of loneliness and in what ways they manifest themselves, something useful to know how to identify and distinguish the factors that trigger them, as well as their psychological implications.
This is a brief summary of the types of loneliness we may encounter throughout our lives. Of course, these are not mutually exclusive categories, so some may overlap with each other.
1. Contextual loneliness
Loneliness It does not always extend to all areas of life; Sometimes it is limited to a single context This means, among other things, that it is possible to predict when a situation of loneliness will begin and when it will end.
For example, someone who has no friends or acquaintances at the college where they attend classes or at work may experience loneliness there, even though in any other place they feel the closeness of many loved ones.
2. Temporary loneliness
It is important to take the time factor into consideration when analyzing the types of loneliness that people experience. In the case of the transient, this It appears in specific situations and does not last much more than a day
For example, when a conflict appears in a love or friendship relationship, the feeling may arise that there is a barrier that separates us from the other, or that they have revealed to us a facet of their personality that makes us reconsider whether we know it.
3. Chronic loneliness
This type of loneliness does not depend on a specific context or situation, but is perpetuated over time, staying in different areas of a person’s life Of course, that does not mean that it will never disappear or that we cannot do anything to make it disappear; Given the right conditions, it can weaken until it disappears, but this is more difficult than in other, more circumstantial types of loneliness.
On the other hand, it must be taken into account that the difference between chronic and temporary loneliness It’s just a matter of degree, and there is no clear separation between them
For this reason, for example, we can find cases in which a person is subjected to an extremely monotonous life that only consists of one type of environment, and feels alone: in this case, it would not be very clear if it is chronic or of the transitory, since we can understand that she has remained stuck in a moment in her life that is repeated over and over again day after day.
4. Self-imposed loneliness
There are cases in which loneliness is the consequence of an isolation that one has decided to use as a defining element of one’s own life. For example, people with fear of feeling let down by friends or loved ones and who develop misanthropic attitudes or, in general, distrust towards others.
In some cases, this form of loneliness can also appear for religious reasons, such as the desire to dedicate oneself to a life of dedication to one or more gods, without embracing feelings of hostility towards other people.
5. Imposed loneliness
Imposed loneliness is a consequence of a series of material deprivations to which the person is subjected, against the latter’s will. The inability to have normal and sustained relationships causes a feeling of isolation to appear, a feeling that corresponds to objective facts, such as the lack of free time or the fact of living in a very small place and barely leaving it.
This is one of the most common types of loneliness given that there are many factors capable of coming between a person and the simple fact of meeting new people, both material (mismatch in time and space) and psychological (lack of social skills, extreme shyness, etc.).
On the other hand, the fact that loneliness is imposed by others does not mean that the existence of this emotion is the objective of the measures imposed on those who suffer from it. For example, it can be caused by very demanding work hours, in which the important thing is to make money.
6. Existential loneliness
Existential loneliness is very different from other types of loneliness, because it is relatively little influenced by the quality and quantity of the interactions we have with other people. It is rather a state in which the emotion of loneliness is mixed with the existential doubt of what we live for and what exactly connects us to others.
If self-awareness is a subjective, private experience that cannot be shared, our existence can come to be perceived as something radically separated from our environment and those who inhabit it
On the other hand, the absence of meaning in one’s life can contribute to feeling disconnected from the rest of the cosmos. That is, it is an experience that normally generates discomfort or concern, and that cannot be addressed by trying to make more friends or meeting more people
7. Psychopathological loneliness
Psychopathological loneliness can be a mixture of the above, but in this case it is characterized by being associated with a deterioration in the person’s mental health, or directly by the expression of a psychiatric disorder. For example, it is typical in cases of schizoid personality disorder.
