Feeling Lonesome: The Philosophy and Psychology of Loneliness
224Feeling Lonesome: The Philosophy and Psychology of Loneliness
224Hardcover
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Overview
Loneliness is much more than just feeling sad or isolated. It is the ultimate ground source of unhappiness—the underlying reality of all negative human behavior that manifests as anxiety, depression, envy, guilt, hostility, or shame. It underlies aggression, domestic violence, murder, PTSD, suicide, and other serious issues. This book explains why the drive to avoid loneliness and secure intimacy is the most powerful psychological need in all human beings; documents how human beings gravitate between two motivational poles: loneliness and intimacy; and advocates for an understanding of loneliness through the principles of idealism, rationalism, and insight.
Readers will understand the underlying theory of consciousness that explains why people are lonely, thereby becoming better equipped to recognize sources of loneliness in themselves as well as others. Written by a licensed social worker and former mental health therapist, the book documents why whenever individuals or groups feel lonely, alienated, estranged, disenfranchised, or rejected, they will either withdraw within and shut down, or they will attack others with little thought of consequence to either themselves or others. Perhaps most importantly, the work identifies the antidotes to loneliness as achieving a sense of belonging, togetherness, and intimacy through empathic emotional attachments, which come from a mutual sharing of "lived experiences" such as feelings, meanings, and values; constant positive communication; and equal decision making.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781440840289 |
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Publisher: | Bloomsbury Academic |
Publication date: | 06/23/2015 |
Pages: | 224 |
Product dimensions: | 6.20(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.80(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Introduction xi
Chapter 1 Historical and Conceptual Overview 1
Chapter 2 Philosophical Roots: Self-Consciousness/Reflexivity 17
Chapter 3 Philosophical Roots: Intentionality/Transcendence 35
Chapter 4 Loneliness and Phenomenology 75
Chapter 5 Psychological Roots of Loneliness 103
Chapter 6 Loneliness and Language 129
Chapter 7 The Unconscious and the Subconscious 149
Chapter 8 Therapeutic Measures 173
Afterword 195
Index 197
What People are Saying About This
"There is always a risk in marshaling the arguments of leading philosophers, linguists, and personality theorists and the insights of novelists that the treatment will be superficial, but this study thoughtfully and thoroughly considers the contributions of all these leading intellects across disciplines to the concept of loneliness. Moreover, Mijuskovic avoids simplistic approaches to make his case that reflexivity is the prison of loneliness. That is, he does not simply define human beings as innately lonely or argue for such a definition of humanity. He explains why human beings are innately lonely and offers in the last chapter strategies for dealing with the human sense of isolation. In all, this is a perspicacious treatment of the problem, a careful assessment of the contributions to the concept from leading thinkers and novelists, and a thoughtful analysis of avenues of escape through empathic intimacy."
"Ben Mijuskovic's lifelong exploration of our human condition culminates in this seminal study of loneliness. The investigation traces its etiologies in the philosophical traditions, its presence and influences in literature, and its manifestations in psychological behaviors and practices. Finally, it debunks current psychiatric practices of overmedication and superficially expedient therapies. Not only does the text help us understand the dispositions of loneliness, but it offers means to guard against it. Warning readers of the dangers of retreat into interiority, the author argues for our using our consciousness transitively to go beyond the confines of that consciousness so besotted by loneliness. As in previous works, Mijuskovic casts his thesis in a pool of considerable disciplinary context. Let's celebrate both this marvelous study and its compelling and wise assertion: we must strive for and seek goals and values beyond the self in order to lead meaningful lives."
"Ben Mijuskovic's new book, Feeling Lonesome: The Philosophy and Psychology of Loneliness, goes even more deeply into the nature and consequences of human existence than his now classic earlier book. No one has written more incisively and engagingly on the topic than he. The breadth of his scholarship in philosophy, psychology, and literature reflects the concentrated study of a curious mind."
"Loneliness is part of the human condition. We are deeply social animals, yet each of us experiences the world as an 'I' subject. I think (and feel and act), therefore I am. Ben Lazare Mijuskovic offers a systematic study of loneliness, informed by his rich knowledge of the history of philosophy and of psychoanalysis, and shaped by his reading of literature and his work as a therapist. The move from Plato onward, with knowledge of literature, into psychoanalytic work, is terrific. An incisive study of a crucial aspect of human experience."