What is loneliness?
Loneliness is a subjective, unwelcome feeling of lack or loss of companionship, which happens when there is a mismatch between the quantity and quality of the social relationships that we have, and those that we want.
– Perlman and Peplau, 1981
Loneliness arises when a person’s current social relationships do not align with their desired social relationships, whether that be in quality or quantity.
What is social isolation?
Social isolation is a lack of social relationships. Essentially, loneliness is feeling alone while social isolation is being alone, meaning they can, but do not always, occur together.
Types of loneliness
Loneliness can take on various forms, each affecting people in unique ways:
- Social loneliness: Absence of a satisfactory network of friends, family or community.
- Emotional loneliness: Absence of a significant other with whom a close attachment or meaningful relationship exists, such as a partner or close friend.
- Existential loneliness: The experience of feeling entirely separate from other people, this can often be linked to traumatic experiences.
These types of loneliness often overlap and may be experienced to varying degrees at different points in a person's life.
Degrees of loneliness
Loneliness can vary in intensity and duration.
- Transient loneliness is typically short-term and manageable, often serving as a natural emotional response that can even motivate individuals to reach out and reconnect with others.
- Chronic loneliness is a more persistent state, where a person feels lonely often or all of the time. This prolonged sense of isolation can have a significant impact on a person’s ability to form or maintain social connections and, in more severe cases, may contribute to emotional or physical harm.
Understanding these degrees of loneliness helps in recognising when loneliness may be a temporary feeling or a deeper issue requiring support.
If you would like to learn more about loneliness, we provide an “Understanding social isolation and loneliness as we age” training course. Contact consultancy@reengage.org.uk for more information.